A Prince's Saviour
by Scififan33
Summary: Noctis should not have ditched his guard to explore on his own. Prompto had been hunting the wolves for a while when he finally caught up to them they were fighting to collar someone. To his shock that someone was Noctis Lucis Caelum, Vampire Prince of Insomnia. He couldn't leave him to die and he couldn't keep him in in Meldacio. He had to get him back to the city. Easy, right?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 1**

He hissed and snarled, fighting tooth and claw to get away but there were too many of them. He was going to die, and no one knew where he was. He'd been so stupid! He could feel the blood running from multiple wounds, he was feeling light-headed, limbs becoming heavy as he struggled.

"Hurry up! Get the collar on him!" A voice snapped and his hissed, baring his fangs, only to hear them laugh. His vision was beginning to fade, the fight draining out of his battered and weakened body.

"Hey!" A new voice reached his dimming hearing. "Get away from him!" he heard the sharp report of gunfire, shouts and pained noises. "Hang on, stay with me," the voice was close now, soft and gentle and he struggled to open his eyes, wanting to warn whoever it was to get away. "It's alright, you're safe now," the voice whispered, and he dimly felt hands on him as darkness claimed him.

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Prompto knelt beside the unconscious form, gently rolling him onto his back, wincing as he saw the multitude of wounds. He saw his face and paled, what on Eos was he doing out alone and so far from Insomnia? He pulled the tattered clothing aside, looking for any more severe wounds but it looked like it was cumulative blood loss from many small wounds that was the problem. He pulled a knife from his belt and carefully cut into his arm, letting the blood well up before holding his arm over the slack mouth, letting his blood drip in. He was relieved when he saw his throat begin to move, swallowing what he was given. Once the wound stopped bleeding he got up to check the attackers, but they were all dead, so he scooped the now healing body up into his arms and headed off.

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He woke slowly, body aching, hunger clawing at him as he smelt possible sustenance close by, heard a steady heartbeat. He forced it back before struggling to open his eyes, blinking sluggishly up at a ceiling, one he didn't recognise. He slowly turned his head as his vision cleared further to see a human slumped in a chair, head on his chin, asleep? He groaned as he tried to move, feeling a lumpy mattress beneath him as he became more aware of his body. He tried to sit up only for his head to spin and he slumped back.

"Take it easy," a sleep roughened voice called, and then warm, gentle hands were helping him back onto the pillow properly. "You lost a lot of blood; you shouldn't try to move too much yet." The young man told him.

"Who…." He slurred.

"My name's Prompto," was the answer. A warm hand brushed his hair back from his face and then a glass was pressed to his lips as his head was gently supported. "Drink, you need to regain your strength.

He tried not too, unsure what it would be, but then the taste exploded across his tongue and he drank hungrily. It was even still warm, rich, and strong and he could feel it beginning to work on his wounds already. "Why?"

"Why what?" Prompto asked gently as he put the now empty glass aside and pulled the blankets back over him.

"Sa…ve…" he blinked slowly, sleep pulling him under as was normal when seriously wounded.

"Just rest, we can talk when you wake up," Prompto promised, gently brushing a hand through his hair. It felt really nice…

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Prompto watched as the Prince of Insomnia fell back into the coma-like sleep of a badly wounded vampire. He'd nearly died earlier but Prompto was pretty sure he was out of danger now since he'd woken and been coherent. He wasn't entirely sure what to do, he had no way to contact the city to let them know where the Prince was or his condition. He couldn't keep him here long either, he may not be one to kill anything not-human, but a lot of the others in Meldacio were. Then again, if they ever learnt the truth about him, they'd likely kill him too. He had no more blood to give him either, even with how quickly he healed, he couldn't risk donating more for a while and it wasn't like they kept a supply around here. He could wait maybe another day but then he'd have to risk moving him. Ezma barely tolerated him, one of the few with an idea of where he might be from, if she got a whiff of him sheltering a vampire, even the Prince of Lucis himself, well, it wouldn't end well.

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Noctis blinked up at the water-stained ceiling, recognising it from the last time he'd woken, though it was very vague. There'd been a young human male…blood…he groaned and then heard noise from the floor. He managed to lever himself up enough to look down only to find the blonde sleeping on the floor although he was stirring. Bright blue eyes blinked up at him sleepily and then the human was sitting up.

"Hey, you're awake!" he scrambled up. "Feeling better?"

"Much," Noctis answered, watching him warily as he sat on the edge of the bed and then the human reached out and he stiffened slightly but all he did was touch the bandages that covered his bare chest.

"Well, you haven't bled through this lot of bandages which is a good sign. Do you remember waking up before?" his saviour asked.

"Vaguely," he watched as steady hands gently unwound bandages with bloodstains on the inner layer to reveal healed skin beneath, although not without some scars which was to be expected considering what his attackers had been.

"Well, my name's Prompto and you're Prince Noctis," the blonde, Prompto, smiled at him as he finished removing the bandages. "Looks like that last dose of blood finished the healing. Good thing since there's no more. How do you feel? Any weakness? Pain?"

"Why?" Noctis asked, no human helped one of his kind without some sort of agenda.

"Same question as last time, why save you?" Prompto asked and Noctis nodded, not remembering have asked before. "I'd been tracking those wolves for a week. Attacking you meant I caught up and could finish the hunt. Did you hear what they were saying at the end there?"

Noctis frowned, trying to remember. "It's all a blur."

"They were trying to collar you," Prompto told him and Noctis went as white as a vampire could.

"Collar…" he choked out, shaking.

"Hey, stay with me, just breath," Prompto gripped his shoulders firmly. "You're safe, they're dead and I destroyed the collar."

"They…they were going to…" he couldn't even think it. A collar! He leant into the firm grip of the human….the hunter who had saved him. He was shocked to feel himself being pulled into a hug, soaking up the warmth of Prompto's body. A collar...it was his worst nightmare, after what had nearly happened when he was little. If they'd gotten that thing on him his life would have been over. It would have destroyed his Dad…Iggy…Gladio…he'd been so foolish.

"Hey, it's okay, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you," Prompto whispered, holding him without cringing away from his cold body, seemingly unafraid to have a vampire so close.

Noctis couldn't help surrendering to the offered comfort as his imagination spun with scenario after scenario of what could have happened if Prompto hadn't caught up. "I want to go home," he whispered.

"You will, I can get you to Leide. You'll be safer there and you should be able to contact someone. It'll take some time and we'll have to figure out how to get you a blood supply. How did you even get out this far in the first place?"

"I…I don't know. Where are we? I was…I was at Cape Caem."

"Welcome to Meldacio," Prompto answered, shocking him. How had he gotten so far away? How long had it been, surely they realised he was missing? Meldacio was the Hunters home base, not a safe place for him at all. "That's why we need to leave tomorrow."

Noctis nodded, he wanted away from this place as soon as possible. Being the Prince wouldn't spare him, the fact he had never sunk his fangs into anyone wouldn't mean a thing to a Hunter and yet… this Hunter had saved him, tended his wounds, fed him! "Why would a Hunter save a vampire?"

"I don't kill without a reason. Just because you were born with the need to drink blood doesn't mean you deserve to die. If we'd met and you were ripping someone's throat out or draining them to death then things would have gone differently," he admitted.

"I would never!" he denied, horrified and sickened by the thought and Prompto nodded. even driven to full blood lust he had never been so far gone as to kill someone.

"I figured as much from everything I've ever seen or heard about you. Not that I knew who you were at the time. All I saw was a bunch of werewolves viciously attacking someone, so I intervened." Prompto sat back down on his sleeping bag. "Try and get some more sleep, might be your last night in a bed for a while, hope you like camping." With that, he lay down and closed his eyes

Noctis watched him before laying down, curling up on his side. While he felt healed he was tired, so it was better to sleep.

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Prompto heard the Prince settling down, even as he kept his eyes closed. He wondered if Noctis even realised what was going on, how trusting he was being of a stranger, a Hunter. Prompto had literally been made to engender trust from anything supernatural. Surely Noctis had to have been warned about his kind, about the MT's created by Niflheim in order to eradicate the inhuman forces of Lucis? And yet here he was, sleeping in his presence as if Prompto was a normal human. Prompto had escaped before the final alterations but he was still one of them, still able to fight in a way no unaltered human could, to draw them in for an easier kill. Was Noctis unaware of what was going on? Maybe he shouldn't worry about it, he had no plans to use that draw to kill Noctis after all. He needed sleep if he was going to get Noctis safely away from HQ without anyone suspecting.

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Noctis woke to the smell of fresh blood and sat up, watching as Prompto bled into a glass. It wasn't a lot, but it would help keep him from getting too hungry. Prompto had been feeding him his own blood! Then again, where else would he have been getting it? It smelt really good and he knew he needed a proper feed soon. He accepted the glass when it was offered and downed the contents, hungrily licking at it to get every last drop. "What now?"

"Think you can stand for a shower?" Prompto asked and Noctis nodded slowly, shifting to the edge of the bed and taking the offered hand up. He swayed and an arm wrapped around his waist to steady him. "Nice and easy," he warned and Noctis nodded. they made their way to the cramped bathroom and Prompto carefully began peeling away the remaining bandages. "We're close in size, so I'll lend you some clean clothes. Watch the hot water, plumbing around here can be tricky."

"Thanks," Noctis reached down to undo his pants, fingers fumbling, and he smelt hesitation coming from his rescuer. His scent was very pleasant for a human, especially since he hadn't caught even a whiff of fear from him.

"Need help?" Prompto asked awkwardly.

Noctis hesitated but nodded and Prompto shifted so Noctis could lean against him while he quickly worked to undo Noctis' pants, slipping them down for Noctis to step out of. His underwear was swiftly removed as well, and he was glad he couldn't blush as he was left totally naked with a stranger. While his strength was returning, Prompto was a hunter, he was very vulnerable and yet…he felt safe in a way he didn't with anyone but his closest companions and family. Prompto helped him into the tiny shower cubicle and reached around to turn the water on. Noctis leant against the wall as the water hit him, closing his eyes for a second before reaching for the soap to clean himself.

"Call if you need more help," Prompto offered before leaving the bathroom.

Noctis washed as quickly as he could, even his hair since he could smell dried blood in it. He shakily turned the tap off as the water went cold and pushed himself away from the wall and out of the cubicle to find a towel and clothes waiting for him. he dried off slowly and pulled on the clothing, it was very different to what he was used to, the material coarser and heavier. Then again, hunters led a very rough life, they wanted clothing to be protective, easy to clean and long-lasting. He left the bathroom to find Prompto in the tiny kitchen, cooking something that made him wrinkle his nose, and he spotted a half-packed bag on the bed.

Prompto glanced over and grinned. "Good, they fit. I'd offer you some but you're pureblood, right?"

"Yeah, thanks but human food is not good," Noctis agreed, sinking into a chair.

Prompto finished and ate quickly before going back to packing. "Your clothing wasn't salvageable. Your pants could probably be cleaned if you want to try," he offered.

"I'll find a way to pay you back for clothing," Noctis promised. If Prompto could get him even as far as any outpost or town in Leide he would be able to access funds to reimburse him.

"No problem. I've got an old truck nearby. We'll get you in the passenger side and you'll have to duck down to remain unseen. Anyone finds out that I've had you here and it won't be pretty," Prompto warned.

Noctis nodded. "I understand, I don't want to cause you any trouble."

Prompto finished cleaning up and packing, looking around to make sure he had everything. "Wait here, gotta make sure the coast is clear."

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Prompto tossed the bag in the bed of the truck, subtly glancing around but no one was paying any attention to him. He was a well-known face after all, he'd been living at HQ since he was twelve and Dave had saved him from a pack of voretooth. He'd been on his own in the wilds of Lucis for four years before then and he could do it again if necessary. If anyone learnt he was helping the Prince he'd be out on his own, blacklisted with the Hunters if Ezma had her way. It was worth it though, who knew what sort of chaos would occur if anything happened to Noctis. And he liked what he'd seen so far of the young Prince, he didn't want him to die or worse. He ducked back inside the building and quickly tugged Noctis out and helped him up into the truck where he ducked down and Prompto dropped a blanket over him to help hide him further. He spotted Dave and waved before getting in.

"Where are ya heading?" Dave called out.

"Taelpar outpost, got a call and they could use a hand," he lied, and Dave nodded.

"Drive safe and good hunting."

"You too," Prompto grinned and then drove away, wondering if he'd ever be back.

_TBC…_

_Pairing suggestions welcome_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 2**

Noctis dozed, lulled by the noise of the engine and still recovering. His head was pressed against the window, the blanket he'd been hidden under now covering him.

Prompto glanced over every now and then to make sure he was alright. It was going to take time to get him to safety, so he was making for Capitis Haven, it was secluded enough for now, kept murky due to the old growth in the area and there were no other hunters around. If needed, they could easily enough head into the Myrlwood and Pectriche Haven. He wanted the Prince fully healed before they moved on and he had to face the full daytime sun. He pulled the truck off the dirt road to hide it from sight and got out, grabbing his camping gear and moving it to the Haven before going back to the truck. "Time to wake up your Highness," he called gently, reaching out to touch his shoulder and the Prince snapped awake, eyes wide, fangs out and he backed off, hands up. "Easy, just me."

"Prompto?" Noctis blinked, fighting off sleep and saw him standing back, hands up and he frowned before he realised his fangs were down. "Sorry," he looked away, willing them to retract.

"No harm done," Prompto promised. "Need a hand down?"

Noctis shook his head and slipped from the truck only to stumble on landing but Prompto was there, slipping an arm around his waist to help steady him, despite his nearly attacking him. "Where are we?"

"Vesperpool," Prompto answered as they crossed the dirt road and then he helped Noctis up onto the flat stone of the Haven. "It's remote enough and there's been no hunts here for a bit. I don't want to risk the full sun until you're fully recovered."

Noctis nodded, it made sense. He didn't want to risk sun exposure when weakened, he'd suffered that once before and the burns took forever to heal. He sighed as he was settled into a camp chair, he hated the lethargy that came with healing. He loved sleeping but this was too much even for him. A gentle hand brushed his hair back from his face and he leant into the warm touch.

"Do you want to lie down? I'll have the tent up in a few minutes."

"Don't want to be a bother," he mumbled, Prompto had already done so much for him.

"You're not, your Highness."

"Noct, call me Noct," he yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

"Okay, Noct," he agreed softly, moving away to finish pitching the tent. By the time he was done, Noctis was almost asleep in the chair. "Let's get you settled in," Prompto murmured, leaning down to wrap an arm around Noctis, gently pulling him up and Noctis slumped against him. "Okay, I'm going to pick you up," he warned before lifting the slightly taller yet lighter male up into his arms. Noctis just mumbled sleepily, pressing his face into Prompto's shirt and he swallowed but carried him to the tent and got him settled into a sleeping bag. Noctis clung on to his shirt with one hand, eyes barely open to slits, and Prompto gently disentangled his fingers, squeezing his hand gently. "It's okay, just get some sleep. I'll keep you safe Noct."

"Sssstaay," he slurred before falling fully asleep.

Prompto ran his free hand through Noct's hair, hoping to sooth him, keeping hold of a limp hand with his other. Obviously he hadn't been as healed as he had been acting in his apartment, perhaps he'd been acting it because he knew they had to leave and didn't want to be a burden. Prompto settled comfortably on the mat he'd put on the floor, taking the time to study Noct in the muted light. He'd been too busy keeping him alive to really just sit back and look. He'd seen pictures of the Royal Family before, who hadn't? Though some of those he'd seen had been very different to those people would have seen, part of his training as a child. They'd tried to portray them as soulless monsters, bloodsucking fiends who would sooner kill you as look at you and he'd believed it, till he'd come to Lucis. He'd watched and learned ever since arriving, he'd seen vampires, werewolves, incubus, succubus, all kinds just going about their lives, hidden amongst the human population. He could only tell what they were because of what he was, even if the process had never been completed. Most of them were very good at hiding what they were, they had to be. Only in Insomnia were they safe and free to reveal what they were, under the protection of the Lucis Caelum family.

The question that worried him was simple, how much did Noctis know about MT's and how long would it take him to realise? He wasn't afraid of a human working it out, why would they? He had no effect on them, but to someone who wasn't human? He had been made to be able to match them in a fight, to be able to kill them far easier than any hunter could, to see past the façade and recognise them no matter how they hid. Noctis was a young vampire, no older than he looked, the same age as Prompto himself, which meant he would be easy to draw in. He didn't want that, but it wasn't a conscious thing, it was literally in his genes, his scent, looks, voice, all designed in a lab to entice the supernatural beings of Eos, to make them trust his kind. All he could do was try and dampen the energy given out by the Magitek core implanted under his sternum. Thankfully the glow was well concealed by muscle, skin, and clothing. Even dampened, over time it would affect Noctis, which was why he needed to get him to safety as soon as possible and then leave.

Prompto got up and headed down to the water, he would catch his meals while he could, leaving the food supplies for areas where he couldn't catch, kill or pick his food.

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Noctis was confused to find the roof of a tent above him as he opened his eyes, before he remembered the fight, Prompto, and the truck. He pushed himself upright and looked around, feeling the background hum of a Haven around him. He opened the tent flap, hesitating as he gauged the light level, before crawling out, finding Prompto sitting beside the fire, fish roasting over it. The blonde looked up and grinned at him.

"Evening sleepy," he teased and Noctis blinked before smiling back.

No one outside of his Dad and Gladio really teased him, without being mean about it anyway. "How long did I sleep?" he sat down opposite Prompto, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

"All day, not surprising. You've been recovering from a nasty fight and without the amount of blood you need to heal faster." He tossed a canteen over to him. "It's animal, sorry about the taste."

Noctis nodded and unscrewed the lid, fighting back a grimace at the smell. Animal blood would do, but it didn't taste very nice compared to human. However, there was only one source of that nearby and he would never feed without permission, plus Prompto had already given him blood several times so for his health it would be unsafe to drink from him for a while. A Hunter willingly giving their blood to a vampire was unheard of, so why had he done it. He could understand saving him, he hadn't known who and what he was until after the fight, but to then risk his own wellbeing by taking Noctis into his home, caring for his injuries and giving his own blood? It didn't make sense. Everyone always told him to never trust a Hunter, but everything said that Prompto was trustworthy. Was he looking for a reward? A way out of Hunting? They had to be close in age, if not the same, which meant he'd started young, the son of Hunters maybe, so maybe he hadn't chosen the life of a Hunter. It wasn't a profession you could just walk away from, he wouldn't be welcome in any town if he did which would mean surviving on his own, not an easy task. Saving him and delivering him to safety though, he would be able to ask for a reward such as being allowed to live in Insomnia, though he'd be watched, probably for life. "You'll be able to ask for any reward you want from Father," he offered casually as he forced the blood down.

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Prompto blinked at his words, what? He looked up at Noct, seeing the forced casualness, the way Noctis was watching him and he smiled. "He can refund the petrol money if he wants. I'll have to take a hunt or two on the way or we'll be pushing the truck."

"Hunts?" Noct asked and a deaf man could hear the trepidation in his voice.

"No, Noct. Not that kind of hunting. I mean voretooth or coeurls or anything else that's causing trouble. They don't pay as well but they leave a clearer conscious," he quickly explained, watching as some of the tension seeped from the young vampire. How would he react if he knew Prompto had killed his kind before? He'd had no choice and even if he'd been given one, he still would have killed them because he hadn't known any better. The same with the werewolves that had been used for practice as well. He had killed since leaving, but only in self-defence or defence of others, like the wolves that had been attacking Noctis. "Will you be okay staying in the occasional caravan or hotel, or should we tick to Haven's?"

"I won't attack anyone," Noctis glared and Prompto sighed.

"That wasn't why I was asking. We won't have much access to human blood, I don't want you to be uncomfortable. You've never travelled outside of the city, the people can be very suspicious, especially of strangers. You're dressed like a Hunter which will help that a bit, though you don't have tags." He removed the fish from the fire and put them on a plate with some salad made from local ingredients.

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"Does that taste good?" Noctis asked, curious. He didn't know any humans and the food smelled gross to him, but obviously it didn't, or else humans wouldn't enjoy it so much.

"Not bad, I'm no gourmet cook or anything but it's hard to muck up roasted fish and a salad as long as you don't leave it over the flame for long enough to turn it to charcoal," he grinned and finished it off before leaning back on his arms, leaving the camp chair empty. "Have you ever camped before?"

"Just overnight for fun, but within the Wall," Noctis admitted. Camping for vampires was different too, technically they didn't need a fire, tent, anything really. They did it because Gladio liked lying out under the stars where they could actually see them. Under the Wall the sun wasn't a threat, so it didn't matter how long they stayed out.

"It's a bit different out here. Bathing in rivers and lakes, sleeping on rock, personal hygiene can get a bit difficult," Prompto explained and Noctis nodded.

"At least cold water doesn't bother me as much as it will you," he shrugged. Personal hygiene wasn't really important when you didn't sweat or anything…ah, but he'd have to deal with it because Prompto did. It beat being dead or worse, anything was better than where he'd be now without Prompto stepping in.

"Yeah, it's pretty cold around here, it'll be warmer closer to the city," Prompto yawned and Noctis winced, had he stayed up all day while he slept?

How was that going to work? They had to travel in the day, it was too risky at night with daemons spawning anywhere they pleased. He'd have to stay covered somehow that wouldn't raise suspicion from others driving passed and he guessed he'd sleep then; he could sit watch at night while Prompto slept. It would be lonely for both of them but they'd both be awake in the evening and morning for a while. "You should sleep, I can keep watch." A Haven would only keep daemons out after all.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. Not up for a fight but I can wake you if I sense something coming," he swore, wondering if Prompto would trust him to watch over him while he slept.

"Okay, wake me if you need anything," Prompto got up and stretched. "The chair is yours to use if you want to get off the rock." He ducked into the tent and Noctis settled into the camp chair, closing his eyes to let his other senses take over. It took maybe twenty minutes for Prompto to fall asleep, his breathing deep and even. For a second, he considered taking off into the night, but it was crazy. Seeing maps of Lucis was very different to trying to navigate his way across the continent alone at night, he'd never make it without help.

His best chance was to trust Prompto and he did…which was strange. There was something niggling at the back of his mind about just how easy it was to trust and like him. Cor would glare at him for being so trusting of a stranger, especially a Hunter, but what else could he do? Prompto had done nothing to hurt him, had given him his own blood, he had to trust that would last the trip.

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Noctis stirred, the absence of engine noise rousing him enough to open his eyes and blink blearily out from under the cap he wore to help hide his features from prying eyes and the sun. "Mmmm?"

"Just stopping to fill the tank and grab some supplies, go back to sleep," Prompto answered and then Noctis distantly heard the sound of him leaving the cabin. He was drifting back into a deep sleep when the door opened again and then the engine started, the steady noise drawing him back under.

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Prompto drove as far as he dared before stopping for the day, the sun was low on the horizon and he reached over to gently shake Noctis' shoulder. "We're here, time to wake up," he called and Noctis stirred, sitting up and blinking sleepily. "Morning," he smiled as Noctis yawned, flashing fangs. "Hungry?"

"Little, why?" he asked.

"Bit of fang showing," he answered, getting out and going around the back to get the camping gear out, Noctis soon appearing to help. After two nights, Noctis was getting the hang of helping set the camp up though he stayed well away from the food. It was nice, having company and someone to help, even if their sleep schedules were opposites. If they weren't on the road he'd simply switch around but that wasn't possible. Even though they didn't talk much, he liked the Prince, he didn't try to dodge out of helping set up and take down the camp, he never complained about the rough conditions, and he was even willing to share stories about life in the city. Prompto shared stories in exchange about the greater world of Lucis, he never mentioned Niflheim or even Accordo. The longer he could keep his origins secret, the better as far as he was concerned. It wasn't like Noctis was pushing for childhood stories or who his parents were. He hoped he never did.

_TBC…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 3**

Noctis drank deeply, fangs buried in still warm flesh as he drank his fill for the first time since he had been attacked. His eyes snapped up as he heard motion approaching, instinct screaming to defend his meal. The movement stopped and he struggled to focus past the blood lust, finally recognising Prompto, who crouched nearby, gun in hand and eyes on the horizon. He was guarding him! The rest of the Spiracorn lay dead around them, some from gunshots, others from his own sword. He drained the last of the blood and pushed the corpse away.

The early morning sunlight was increasing but with fresh blood, even if only from an animal, he could feel his strength fully return, magic surging through his body. He got to his feet and stretched, glancing back at Prompto, looking for any sign of fear or disgust, surprised but also happy to see none as the hunter glanced back at him.

"Full?" he asked and Noctis nodded. Prompto straightened up to stand as well, holstering his gun. "You look healthy finally," he flashed him a grin and then went to work taking the proof of the successful hunt and Noctis moved to help him. Once done they headed for the truck and back to the outpost.

Noctis got out as well, face shaded by a cap, but he was tired of being stuck in the truck all the time and with the fresh blood in his system the sun didn't burn. There were many humans in Insomnia but the scents here were so different, stronger, especially without the filter of the trucks air conditioning.

"Okay?" Prompto asked quietly.

He nodded, looking around while trying to not look too out of place. He'd likely never again have the chance to see the rest of Lucis and he wanted to make the most of the opportunity. He followed Prompto into a building with a sign announcing the Crow's Nest, fighting down the urge to grimace at the smells of cooking food. He took a seat beside Prompto who began chatting with the man behind the counter, handing over the proof of the hunt to receive gil in return. He then ordered food to go and they left the building to go sit in the shade where Prompto ate and Noctis pretended in case anyone was watching. Once done they headed to the hotel to rent a room for the night.

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Prompto dropped his bag on the bed, the weapons bag next to the small table, before kicking off his boots and slipping out of his jacket, stretching. He removed his holster and hung it off the table beside the bed closest to the door. "Want first shower?" he offered.

Noctis shook his head. "You should go first; cold water doesn't bother me."

"Sure?" he offered again and Noct nodded. "Okay." He grabbed clean clothes and toiletries before heading into the bathroom. It would be nice to have hot water again. He scrubbed down thoroughly, washing his hair too, but made sure to leave some hot water for Noctis, cold water may not bother him but that didn't mean it was nice to wash in. he dried off and dressed in loose pants and shirt since he didn't plan to leave the room again for the night. "All yours," he grinned and then went to the table to clean his guns.

"Thanks," Noctis grabbed the things Prompto had bought for him two outposts back and headed in to clean up.

Prompto worked quietly on his weapons, mentally going over their route. They would pass through the Paralleth Pass tomorrow and that left them with a choice, did they head for Lestallum or go straight for Rydelle Ley and onto Alastor Slough? They would need to stay somewhere around the time they would likely reach the turnoff for Lestallum, but the town was dangerous for Noctis if he was recognised. Technically it was occupied by the Empire and even if it wasn't, the place wasn't very friendly for those like the Prince. He would be glad to cross over into Duscae, things weren't as bad there, with less Imperial presence.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis left the bathroom to find Prompto finishing up his weapons maintenance, mind obviously elsewhere. He looked different in such casual dress, younger, softer. He couldn't believe Prom had been with the hunters since he was twelve, he was nothing like he'd been taught the hunters were. But there was something else about the blonde… he never spoke of his life before then and while Noctis could respect his privacy, it niggled at him. He sat down and picked up the provided newspaper and he realised what it was as he looked at the picture of the Emperor and his top officials. He froze as he stared at the picture, heart sinking, even as he tried not to give himself away. It really had been too good to be true.

So why was he still alive? What was the plan? Why hadn't he been dragged to Gralea yet? Was he freaking out over nothing? No…Prompto was too blonde, too pale for a native Lucian. Even Iggy wasn't that lightly coloured, and his family originated in Tenebrae. And…even in a slightly blurry photo, there was a resemblance to one of the men beside the Emperor, his top scientist, Verstael Besithia. Surely if such an important man had a family, they would know about it? What did it mean? Maybe…Prompto was an unwanted bastard? If he was then maybe he had run…maybe this wasn't a trap.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto glanced up, sensing something was wrong, and he saw Noctis staring at the paper. He saw him tighten his grip on it and then it hit him, he'd glanced at it when he sat down but hadn't bothered to read Imperial propaganda. And it was clear, Noctis had put at least part of the puzzle together, the question was, how much? "Noctis," he called softly, and the Prince looked at him, obviously trying not to give anything away. He put the last gun down and then got up and moved away from the table and the weapons to sit on the bed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis watched as Prompto stood and moved away from all of the weapons to sit on the bed, so much for not giving away what he'd realised. He even sat with his hands under his thighs and Noctis swallowed nervously. "Who are you?" he demanded since Prompto obviously knew he'd realised.

"Prompto Argentum," he answered calmly. "And yes, I am from Gralea originally. I've lived in Lucis since I was eight, on my own. Dave saved me from a pack of voretooth when I was twelve and took me to Meldacio. This isn't a game or a trap. I swear, the only plan here is to get you home safely. I don't want the Empire to win anymore than you do, I lived under their control for eight hellish years."

He couldn't smell a lie and his heart rate was remaining steady. He didn't want this to be a trap, but he couldn't let himself believe because he wanted to. He stared in shock as Prompto lifted his hands, pushing back his sleeve to bare his wrist and lift it up in offering. He couldn't be serious!

"There's one way for you to know for sure."

Would he really be offering if he wasn't telling the truth? Or would he offer knowing that he would think that because of the offer? The last few days with him had been good, other than his sleeping to heal. Prompto had freely given blood to help that. He took a hesitant half step towards him and then stopped, torn. He knew in theory how to do what Prompto was suggesting, but he'd never actually done it. "Your name is Lucian," he said and Prompto shrugged.

"I picked it to fit in," he admitted. "I didn't have a name before that. It's….very different growing up there," he finished softly.

Noctis reached out and ran his fingers over the wrist, feeling the warmth of his skin, the blood pulsing through the veins, watching as goose bumps formed from his cool touch. He glanced up into bright blue eyes, seeing his nervousness. There was nothing stopping him from draining him for being an Imperial…but that would make him no better than them. He felt his fangs descend as he lifted Prompto's arm higher. He glanced up one last time to find Prompto waiting patiently. He drew up his magic and bent over the extended limb, carefully biting down, feeling the hot rush of blood over his tongue.

His magic surged up and out, using the blood as a conduit and he heard Prompto gasp at the sensation. It was so different to drinking from a cup or bag or animal. His blood tasted even better from the vein than from the cup. He swallowed several mouthfuls before carefully sinking his magic deeper into Prompto, holding eye contact, seeking the truth. Images flashed before his eyes: Prompto finding him and taking him to his apartment…a few scattered hunts…a smaller Prompto being overwhelmed by the pack of voretooth and a man coming to his aide, carrying the injured child to safety…..a small blonde boy scavenging on the edges of settlements, stealing occasionally….even smaller, huddled in the storage room of a ship….a train…he was so small, way too skinny, battered and bruised and terrified of people…he saw the boy sneaking through a city to get to the train, dressed in little more than rags despite the snow. He pulled back, licking the wound to seal it, breathing deeply to free himself from the memories. Cor would tell him off for not going back farther to see why Prompto had been in that condition, to see where exactly he had come form, his family. But he had felt Prompto's terror, pain and hopelessness from those early memories and he hadn't been able to hurt them both by going back.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto was surprised but grateful Noctis had stopped when he did, he hadn't wanted him to see what he was. He was breathing heavily but so was the Prince, both overwhelmed by the memories, emotions and magic. So that was the magic of the Lucis Caelum…no wonder the Empire feared it. He finally broke eye contact to fall back onto the bed, feeling Noctis let go of his wrist.

"I'm sorry," Noctis whispered and Prompto leant up to look at him. He reached out and snagged Noct's wrist, tugging him down onto the bed to curl around him, sharing his body heat. He felt Noct stiffen briefly before relaxing in his arms, trembling slightly.

"It's okay," he promised as he forced the memories back where they belonged. He ran his fingers through fine black hair, trying to comfort him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis lay in Prompto's arms as he struggled to assimilate the memories without being overwhelmed. He could understand why that was not an ability to be used lightly. He heard Prompto's whisper, felt his fingers in his hair trying to offer comfort and he felt sick. He should be comforting Prompto, not the other way around. While he had lived in luxury, never wanting for anything, Prompto had been scavenging in the rubbish, half starved. He reached back, finding Prompto's other hand to tangle their fingers together, squeezing gently. "Come to Insomnia with me," he whispered, feeling Prompto stiffen in shock.

"Noct?"

"You'll never go hungry again, never have to fight," he promised.

"I'm an enemy combatant twice over, Gralean born and then a hunter."

"You saved me, gave me your blood. I'm the Crown Prince, if I say you can stay then you can. Cor would insist on surveillance, but you'd be able to live in peace." He would do whatever it took to make them see that Prompto wasn't a threat, even if he was related to that monster of a scientist. If he was then the bastard idea seemed most likely, a wanted child would not have been in such condition, right?

"We've still got a long way to go," Prompto finally answered. It wasn't a no, he had time to convince him. "Get some sleep, we'll leave early in the morning."

"Where next?"

"Rydelle Ley and then Alastor Slough. There's several Havens and an outpost where we can top up on fuel, take a few hunts."

"Isn't that near the Nebulawood and Chocobo outpost?"

"Yeah, you like Chocobos?" Prompto asked and Noctis smiled at hearing the slight excitement in his voice.

"Who doesn't? We have a specially trained stable since most don't like us. I used to ride as a kid, don't have as much time for it anymore. Where from there?"

"Up to the Prairie Outpost, though we may not stop. It's the last hunter outpost, the only one in Leide. There's an Imperial base near there too so it's not going to be a very safe area. We could detour to avoid the outpost, head down through the Longwythe Rest Area and then up to Hammerhead."

"So you'll come into Leide?" Noctis asked and Prompto nodded, he could feel it.

"I'll get you passed the base and outpost, after that…I…"

"Okay," he wouldn't push any further tonight. It was weird, trying to switch his sleep cycle around so that he would sleep at night when Prompto did. As long as he could feed on hunts then he would be okay in the day, he'd keep out of the midday sun though to be safe. "Think we'll see a Catoblepas?" he asked, feeling Prompto relaxing at his back, beginning to doze.

"Yeah," he mumbled sleepily.

How much blood had he taken? He hoped it wasn't too much. "Prom? You should drink something," he sat up and nudged Prompto into sitting, going to the food bag and digging out a bottle of juice, giving it to him before moving the rest to the small fridge in the room.

"Thanks."

Noctis looked at Prompto's weapons on the table and then got out the Engine Blade, performing his own maintenance and cleaning on it and then a few of his smaller weapons.

Prompto finished the juice and then got under the covers, curling up on his side, watching sleepily.

Noctis finished and got up, moving back to the beds, hesitating beside the second one, glancing at Prompto who blinked but then lifted the blankets in offering, surprising him. He hesitated but then crawled in with him. Why would Prompto want to sleep with someone who radiated no body heat? But for tonight at least he was glad for the comfort. He relaxed as an arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him up against Prompto's chest.

"Sleep," Prompto mumbled, body relaxing and breathing deepening as he fell asleep.

Noctis lay still and awake for a while longer, enjoying the warmth of his body and the blankets. It was nice not having to camp for a change. As the night fell the outpost went quite as the people retreated inside to sleep while the daemons roamed. He could hear them roaming beyond the safety of the lights, imps, goblins, even red giants. He heard the whispers of young children, scared of the daemons lurking in the dark and he felt a surge of guilt. Was it any wonder the rest of Lucis despised them? they lived in utter safety and luxury under the Wall while those outside of it lived in scattered settlements, their technology a good fifty years behind Insomnia's. There had to be something more they could do or else how did they deserve to be the Kings of Lucis?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto approached the intersection that would take them either to Lestallum or the Slough and glanced at Noctis who was watching the countryside. Making his choice, he turned towards the Slough. It would mean camping again but it wasn't worth the risk to go to Lestallum.

He was worried, though he was keeping it from Noct. Those wolves hadn't looked like they had the funds for a Collar so where had they gotten it? Stolen it? Or been given it and sent after Noctis since he was away from the protection of the city? If they had been sent, were there others out there, hunting him? he was sure he had taken out the whole group that day, but if they had been in contact with others, it would give other hunters a good starting place. Travelling by truck would make them harder to track, so would his scent helping to cover Noct's, but there were only so many ways they could go to get back to Insomnia. It was why Noctis had to be returned to the city as quickly as possible and why it was confusing that he hadn't spotted any increase in soldiers. There was no way they were lucky enough to have no one hunting them.

_TBC…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 4**

Noctis looked around as Prompto parked the truck, the scent of chocobos filling his senses. It was stronger than he was used to but then he caught the grin on Prompto's face and couldn't help grinning back. He was excited but also nervous. Would his presence upset the birds? If it did then someone may at least realise he was a vampire even if they didn't recognise him. They were still technically in occupied territory, but the Glaive operated in these parts, even some of the Crownsguard occasionally came out this far. He could ask to use the phone and try to get a call through to the Citadel, arrange a pickup. If he did that, Prompto would leave and he didn't want that.

Despite knowing where Prompto was from…that he could be related to a high ranking Imperial…he liked him. He had done nothing but help him, he never got mad when Noctis didn't know or understand something due to growing up in Insomnia. He had amazing stories to tell, and now that Noct knew he would even tell him about Altissia since he'd come through there during his escape. It sounded like an amazing and beautiful city, he wished he could see it for himself. There was so much of the world beyond the Wall and he was coming to hate the fact he would likely never leave it again, not after all of this.

If Prompto got him back to the city, then it would be easier to get him inside. He would make sure he had a place to live, money, anything he wanted or needed. He remembered the tiny, skinny boy he'd been, and he never wanted Prompto to have to live like that again. If other Hunters found out he was helping Noct, he'd be out of a job and unsafe, they may even hunt him down. He wasn't trying to buy his friendship or something, he just wanted to make up for putting him through all this. He wanted…hoped, that Prompto wanted to be his friend. He didn't have friends outside of Iggy and Gladio (who had to be out of their minds with fear by now), he just wasn't good at connecting with people, and they had been chosen for him, his Retainers before they became friends.

He followed Prompto into the outpost, looking around at the stables, and then an older human male approached with a wave of greeting.

"Hello boys," the man greeted them.

"Hi," Prompto grinned at him. "We'd like to see the chocobos please."

"The chocobos, huh? I hate to break this to y'all, but we can't permit our birds to leave the post. Not while Deadeye's still about. He's an uncommonly ferocious behemoth that's taken to prowlin' these parts of late. His scent makes our birds nervous, an' to prevent accidents an' tragedies, we have no choice but to suspend rentals. But hold on, now—ain't you lads hunters?" he looked at their clothing and the gun on Prompto's hip. "You reckon you could handle the likes of Deadeye? If you could bring the beast down, there'd be a reward in it for ya. But knowin' the danger, I wouldn't blame ya for sayin' no," he explained and Prompto frowned, glancing at Noctis.

Noctis blinked and realised that Prompto was leaving it up to him. This sounded more dangerous than any of the jobs they'd taken on so far for funds but…how many people relied on the birds for transport? They worked well together, Prompto instinctively shooting around him even when he warped which was beyond impressive. He'd never been so in sync with anyone but his Dad and the guys. "I'm in."

Prompto grinned and nodded. "Any other info?" he asked, and they were soon given a hunt flyer and area where it had been seen. They went back to the truck to grab their gear and rent the caravan, heading in to clean up and eat before going to bed. Prompto flopped on the double rather than a bunk and patted the mattress in offering. Noctis couldn't help grinning as he got in beside him. He loved the body heat Prompto radiated. He knew his own body was cooler than a humans but Prompto never complained about him leaching his body heat. He curled on his side and felt Prompto wrap around him, an arm around his waist and Noctis relaxed, feeling safe.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They moved silently through the Nebulawood in search of Deadeye, only to freeze as they heard a vicious growl from somewhere amid the rocks. Noctis closed his eyes, focusing his senses and then he began to move, Prompto following him without hesitation. They moved through the misty rocks, weapons ready, and then they saw it in the distance. It was….big, definitely very large. They followed it into some ruins and Noctis grinned as he saw the oil drums scattered around, pulling out some elemental flasks from the Armiger and passing half to Prompto who nodded, understanding the plan.

They split up and silently moved closer, each counting to twenty before Noct launched the first flask since the behemoth was closer to him at the moment. The drum went up in a flash of fire, sending Deadeye back, howling in pain and anger. Prompto threw his first one, causing another bellow. They herded it using the flasks until they were out and Prompto began shooting while Noctis began warp striking from every angle. He heard Prompto yelp as he was hit by the tail and snarled, fangs extended as he launched a blast of lightning at the behemoth, warping to Prompto's side, breaking a potion over him.

Prompto shot him a grin and then opened fire again and Noctis warped away. They fought hard and finally, Deadeye fell, lying still. Prompto leant against some rubble, breathing hard. "You okay?" he called and Noctis warped to his side, a little paler than he had been the last few days and then he hissed as some sunlight fell on his exposed skin. Prompto grabbed him, pulling him into the shade of the trees around the ruin. "Easy," he soothed, hands running over Noctis' body, searching for wounds that would explain his sudden light sensitivity.

"It's the magic use," Noctis offered quietly. "The more I use the more quickly I burn through blood."

"Well, I wouldn't suggest drinking from that," Prompto looked at the very messy corpse. Since they'd poisoned the thing it probably wasn't safe. "Come on," he moved Noctis deeper into the tree cover. "Stay here, I'll find you something to eat."

Noctis nodded, feeling the hunger burn through him. He wished he could store blood in the armiger, but the magic killed off any nutrition in it. He sat down beneath a tree, keeping his sword in hand just to be safe. He let his eyes close, relying on his other senses to alert him to any danger, resting his eyes from the bright light. After a while he heard a branch snap but didn't tense as the scent of Prompto, blood and…voretooth. Yuk…but it'd do. He opened his eyes as Prompto dropped the barely alive animal at his feet, moving so that he could sink fangs through tough hide, drinking hungrily. It took a second before he felt up to heading back to the outpost.

Noctis headed straight for the caravan to clean up and get out of the sun for a while, Prompto going to turn in the proof of a successful hunt, coming back with just over three thousand gil and an amethyst bracelet which he gave to Noctis since he had one already.

Prompto grinned when he found Noctis had made him a sandwich, despite how bad food smelt to the vampire. "Thanks."

"Only fair," Noctis shrugged.

Once Prompto had eaten he had a shower and they settled in to rest for a while, hearing the happy sounds of the birds as they were released from the stables. Towards evening they left the caravan to see if the birds would let Noctis approach, there were less people as they began seeking shelter for the night so a bad reaction to him was less likely to be keenly observed.

Noctis approached the pen slowly, waiting for one of the birds to look up at him. It called out nervously and he stopped moving, watching it. When it did nothing else he moved a bit closer, bit by bit making his way over, Prompto at his back, a hand in his jacket, and he knew the hunter was ready to haul him out of the way should the bird attack. To Noct's shock he soon had a hand buried in soft feathers, the bird butting up into his petting.

Prompto hung back, happy to watch Noctis relax with the chocobos. He was glad the birds had accepted him; they were smart enough to work out who was a threat and who wasn't. he loved the birds as well; they were fascinating and not something he'd really seen as a little kid. He'd run into a wild one once, before Dave found him, it had actually defended him from a lone voretooth when he was about nine. He hadn't really known what it was though, had been scared of the massive (to his nine year old self anyway) bird. Trained chocobos came in handy and he tended to rent one for local hunts around Meldacio to save on fuel.

Eventually more birds came over and the tow had fun feeding and petting them until they were called back into the stable for the evening.

In the end, they stayed two nights at the outpost. It was risky but Noctis could use the rest before they had to head for Leide. Why a vampire kingdom was set up so close to an arid, hot, area Prompto honestly didn't know. Seemed to be asking for trouble as far as he could see. Noctis would need to feed more frequently or stay very covered up, though Prompto had made sure to buy himself light weight long sleeved shirts and pants for that part. He may not burn like a vampire would, but he was still more vulnerable to sunburn than the locals. Stupid light colouring. They still had to get past the Slough, then the Niff base and finally the outpost before he would consider them even semi-safe, but they were getting close and still with no signs of pursuit.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They camped at the Haven by the Slough, watching the Catoblepas graze as the sun began to set.

"They're incredible," Noctis whispered, he'd never realised just how big they were from the books.

"They're definitely something else," Prompto agreed, looking at them before going back to scanning the distance, something Noct had noticed him doing more often lately.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Huh?" Prompto glanced at him in confusion.

"You've been watching everything, more and more. What is it?"

Prompto hesitated and then sighed. "Paranoid maybe? I don't know…it's just, the group that had you, how'd they get you so far from Caem? They weren't exactly the sharpest of wolves. Then…the collar. Those things are crazy expensive and rare. I guess, I keep expecting someone to be following us. It wouldn't take a lot to put things together and realise you got away with help and there's only so many routes back to Insomnia from Meldacio."

Noctis listened to his rambling, feeling sick. He should have thought of all this himself. He'd just…he'd been so relieved to be rescued, to have someone who treated him normally, showed him about life outside the city…he let himself become complacent, which was how he'd gotten into the mess in the first place. Prompto was right, there were way too many questions about what had happened in the time he didn't remember, likely because he'd been unconscious or drugged. And while the most likely culprit was the Empire, they weren't the only ones to want the line of Lucis dead. Maybe he should have tried to contact the Citadel back at Wiz's.

Without his own phone, he couldn't just call his Dad, Cor, the guys…he'd have to try and get through on one of the public lines and while they were monitored to keep them secure, there were occasionally leaks. It was why they used secure phones. Prompto had ditched his phone back in Meldacio to keep from being tracked and while they could buy some, why waste the funds?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Iggy stop," Gladio grabbed his hands, pinning the younger male to the wall as he snarled. He used his greater size and strength to hold him still until slowly the fight drained out of him.

"He's not dead, I know he's not," the Adviser whispered and Gladio nodded.

"I believe you," he promised. Everyone else may have lost hope, but as long as Ignis said Noctis was alive, he would believe him. Ignis had been bonded to the Prince when they were young children, he always had a sense of Noct's health. The silvery shimmer faded from green eyes as Ignis slumped and Gladio simply picked him up, carrying him over to the couch where he sat him down and then buried him under a pile of blankets, not like he had the body heat to share. Sometimes it was easy to forget Ignis wasn't a vampire, to treat him like one of them, but he wasn't. His body had very different needs and that had caused a stir among the Council and nobility, but the King had stood by his decision, even once Ignis hit puberty.

He had the feeling a few members of the Council would not be having pleasant dreams for a while, not after todays announcement. They were organising a funeral for Noct. A funeral! It had barely been a month since he had vanished, with only a patch of blood to be found. He was a vampire and a Lucis Caelum, he was not easy to kill. The King had sent out the Glaive and much of the Crownsguard, but they had yet to find anything. They all suspected the Empire, but they had no proof. Surely, if they had Noct, they would have either sent an envoy to negotiate terms for his return….or publicly executed him by now. In that case, no news from the Empire seemed the best option.

Noctis was a smart kid, but very sheltered. Outside of Insomnia, the rest of Lucis was not a kind place, especially to their kind. Could he survive out there on his own? Had the Hunters found him? There was nothing worse than not knowing.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis woke slowly to find it was still dark, able to hear and feel Prompto's deep, even breathing as he continued to sleep. They'd moved around in their sleep so that he was half on top of the human, his head on his chest, warm breath moving his hair. He could feel Prompto's chest rise and fall with each breath, hear the steady beat of his heart and…what was that? he frowned and closed his eyes, focusing on the sound. It was very faint, not something he'd hear even curled up against Prompto normally but…it was vaguely familiar. Kinda like a staticky humming at a low pitch. It was coming from Prompto…his sternum. He pressed closer and then lifted a hand to press carefully against the skin, freezing as Prompto shifted in his sleep, an arm curling around his waist. He swallowed and pressed again. No…No….he shuddered as he realised that beneath his hand was not bone or muscle…it was a solid mass….metal…

"Mmm….Noct?" Prompto slurred sleepily. "Too early." He shifted to hold him closer and Noctis lay still in his hold, his own heart racing as slowly it all clicked into place and he realised how all the clues about Prompto fit together.

_TBC…._

_Figured it was time to give a glimpse of the guys back in Insomnia_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_I have completed the first two Menace Dungeons! Didn't seem all that hard, just time consuming since you can't save and come back to finish it later. So maybe having Noct at level 95 is actually helping. _

_There's a poll upon Scififan33 at ffnet for Chosen Brother's if you haven't seen it. _

_Not sure if this needs a warning or not but Prompto does something a bit extreme to himself to prove a point, so be prepared for blood loss and not from a bite._

**Chapter 5**

No…No….he shuddered as he realised that beneath his hand was not bone or muscle…it was a solid mass….metal…

"Mmm….Noct?" Prompto slurred sleepily. "Too early." He shifted to hold him closer and what had once felt comforting now felt like a steel vice around him.

Noctis lay still in his hold, his own heart racing as slowly it all clicked into place and he realised how all the clues about Prompto fit together. How could he have been so stupid, but he trusted Prompto….because that was what they did, they made his kind trust them. Even knowing, all he wanted was to stay where he was and feel safe. He….Prompto…he was an MT, the enemy, more than any human. He wasn't a person…just a machine that could fool anyone into believing it was human. He'd seen the reports from examinations of ones that had been 'killed'. His first friend…and he wasn't even real.

So what was the plan? To use him to infiltrate Insomnia? The Citadel? One MT couldn't do much damage on its own, could it? Assassination? He would have led it right to his Dad after all…he could have gotten his Dad killed. He couldn't take it to the city, but how to lose it without revealing he'd worked out the truth. He….he didn't want to, thinking of killing him…it…made him feel sick. No wonder he'd been relieved when Noctis stopped looking at its memories, it likely hadn't had much blood left which would have led to a quicker discovery. Were the memories he'd seen real? Or just implanted somehow?

"Noct?" Prompto called in concern, pushing up on one arm to look at him, drowsiness fading from his eyes. Did MT's really sleep? Maybe it was like hitting pause on a game? Then he was sitting up fully, gently pulling Noctis up with him and he bit his lip, trying not to show what he now knew. "Hey, what's wrong? Nightmare?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto sat up, gently pulling Noctis up with him, holding him gently, worried. He noticed Noct biting his lip, obviously nervous…and scared? "Hey, what's wrong? Nightmare?" he asked gently, reaching up to card his fingers through fine black hair. What was going on? "Hey, you with me?" He gently tapped his cheek, seeing his pupils were dilated in fear. Maybe he shouldn't have shared his concerns over being followed? "It's okay, I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised, rubbing his back, feeling every muscle tense. "Noct, talk to me, please."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He struggled to keep his breathing even as Prompto 'comforted' him, assuming he'd had another nightmare, he'd had a few since being rescued….and now he wondered if the wolves were really dead or not. Though, Prompto had to have been inserted into the Hunters a while back, that was some very intricate planning. Unless they had MT's scattered around Lucis living and working in different jobs, waiting for any opportunity? Maybe…was it possible…Prompto didn't know he was an MT? Could they do that good a job? Could the memories feel so real that the units believed them, thought themselves human?

As Prompto rubbed his back, he couldn't help it, tensed muscles relaxing under the soothing touch. He could hear the slightly elevated heart beat beneath his ear, the sound of air as it moved through his lungs. How could he be so lifelike? He could feel the adrenaline and fear falling away as he was held, inhaling the warm scent that screamed safety. He got a hand up, pushing at Prompto's chest, feeling the solid metal beneath his palm, dragging in a shaky breath and he felt Prompto freeze.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Something was really wrong but at least Noct was finally beginning to relax, so he kept up the comforting murmurs as he rubbed his back, Noct's head over his heart. He felt a trembling hand lift to rest on his chest and then it was pushing and Prompto froze…the hand was right over his core…that amount of pressure. He looked down and saw the fear in Noctis' eyes…he hadn't had a nightmare. The thing he had dreaded since rescuing Noctis had happened; he knew. He'd heard or felt his Magitek Core while they were sleeping.

Prompto took a deep breath and then let go of Noctis, getting up and moving to the other side of the tent before sitting again. With the rain outside it was the most space he could give him. "Noctis?" he called out softly, unable to meet his eyes, not wanting to see the fear and loathing that was sure to be there. "You worked it out huh?"

"You…You're a….."

"MT?" Prompto finished for him, hating to hear him stutter, glancing up to see his eyes flickering colour. He took a fortifying breath and then yanked his shirt up and over his head before removing the band on his wrist and the bandana around his upper arm. He sat still, arms spread out, letting Noctis see.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis found his gaze drawn to pale skin, though not as pale as a vampires, it was also spattered with freckles. He swallowed as his eyes wandered over lithe muscles before forcing his eyes to move to his arms….there, on his wrist, black lines forming a barcode. It was true…he was an Imperial machine. His gaze wandered up to where the bandana usually covered, seeing something that looked...off. Seeing where he was looking, Prompto slowly reached up and pressed on the skin, raising a flap to reveal a port. Why was he doing this? Why show him and prove what he suspected.

He watched as a weapons calloused hand went to where he had felt the metal and then hesitated. Noctis looked up and found Pro…it staring at him, eyes sad. Then it looked down again and Noctis followed its gaze down to the chest where it pressed to the side of the metal. Noctis watched as a malevolent red glow appeared through thin skin before it moved its hand and the glow faded.

"Do you know where MT's come from?"

"A factory?" Noctis offered tensely and Prompto snorted.

"Science facility, but close enough," he answered and Noctis glanced up as he moved, leaning back against his bag, one leg bent at the knee, arm resting on it….a hard position to move quickly from. "I haven't seen it since I was eight, but I still remember everything about it. The thousands of rows of tanks…the dorms…training rooms… it was hell, but we didn't know anything else. MT's aren't exactly born but we're not manufactured like machines either. We're clones, every batch given slight variations in the gene sequences, marked with codes for easy identification," he rubbed at his wrist. "Embryos are placed in tanks where we stay, unconscious thankfully, until around three years of age. Guess they don't want to deal with changing diapers or anything," he shrugged slightly.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto couldn't look at him as he explained his 'childhood', he hated remembering that place, but it was the only option. So he stared at the floor between them, glad it was a warm enough night that he wasn't shivering, then again he was adapted to the freezing cold of the mountains where the facility had been located.

"We were moved into dorms then and training began, tests. It was always so cold.." he swallowed. "What did they care if a few of us froze to death? They could just make more, those who died were too weak to be useful. Gene alterations included were designed to make it so we smell safe, heal faster, have improved memory, reflexes, anything they thought we would need. Further 'enhancements' began at age five and last until either they consider you completed, you wash out and are terminated, or transferred to another area." He paused and glanced up, seeing Noctis was watching him warily, but he was listening.

"I washed out, was marked for termination. I had nothing to lose, so I ran. You saw from the streets what it took to get here. Staying in Niflheim wasn't an option, not with the barcode, too many things can remote scan them. I'd never even dreamed of running before then. The facility was all I knew, to me it was the world, then I saw the tag and I knew what they were going to do, and I guess, if you know you're going to die, running isn't so scary anymore."

"MT's are human looking machines. You…you aren't…human."

Prompto flinched slightly. "I am human," he argued, he was! "The process was never completed. I'm still flesh and blood, mostly. Just the ports and Magitek core aren't." That he was sure about anyway. He'd seen his own scans up on the wall enough times when in the labs. "Full modifications can't begin until the body stops growing."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He wasn't a machine? He'd always assumed they came out of a plant, fully made at an adult age. The idea of cloning babies….tearing them apart piece by piece…it was sickening.

"I know you have no reason to believe me and I don't know how to prove to you that I'm not one of them. I hate the Empire."

"Have you ever killed a vampire?" Noctis couldn't help asked, feeling sick when Prompto looked away.

"At the facility. Combat training was a big part of things. We are meant to be able to match a vampire in a fight. Not exactly fair though when pitting barely enhanced kids against trained vampires. They did the same against werewolves too. It was just…what we did. We didn't know any better, obey or die. Every day taught that you and your people are nothing but monsters who kill anything that moves, that we existed to protect people. Since coming to Lucis, I've killed one vampire….he was draining a kid in a back alley of Galdin Quay. I couldn't just let it happen. Got her to a hospital and she lived. I've avoided hunts involving sentients for a reason, always worried someone would realise. I think Ezma was at least suspicious. I know you're not what the Empire taught me."

Brainwashing or something. Why bother though when they were just going to be made into machines? Unless, they weren't? "How much is left in a full MT?" he asked quietly.

"Not much, in either type. Strictly combat models, there's nothing human left, just daemon miasma powering the armour. Infiltration units…there's some. Some of it's only skin deep, to fool the senses, but I saw a unit get stabbed in the gut once, there was muscle and…" he grimaced. "Some of the digestive tract so they can still eat to appear human."

"Then how do I know you're not like that?" he demanded.

"You drank my blood Noctis," he answered.

Noctis…he'd been using his full name the whole time. To keep from angering him further? He balled a hand into a fist, feeling his nails bite into the skin. It was hard, staying suspicious, angry, he'd been exposed to him for long enough now that everything in him wanted to just trust him. that was one of the scariest things about MT's. "I've seen MT's bleed."

Prompto looked up at him before nodding. He reached into his bag and came out with a sharp blade and Noctis tensed, ready to defend himself only to stare in shock as Prompto buried the blade in his own arm with a gasp of pain.

"What…" he was frozen, the smell of blood hitting him instantly, even as Prompto moved the blade, face locked in a grimace of pain. He then tossed the blade out of reach and held his arm out, blood dripping from the wound. "What did you do?"

"Look," Prompto said and Noctis shifted closer, looking down at the wound, seeing where Prompto had pulled the skin back, revealing muscle, veins….bone. That was definitely human bone he was seeing. He looked up and saw Prompto sway alarming, skin paling as he watched. It would be so easy, just let him bleed out…if he could. If he died, he was human.

Noctis grabbed his arm and lowered his face to the wound, lapping at the blood and he heard Prompto whimper. He had no potions for a human, they hadn't had the spare funds to buy any either. He couldn't just sit by and watch him bleed out, so he had to seal the wound, keep his blood in his body and hope he could heal the internal stuff, he had said they were altered to heal faster. He licked out, around the edges, over and over until final the skin sealed over and then he kept going, cleaning the blood from pale skin. He looked up to find sad blue eyes watching him and he let go of the limb. "That was stupid," he hissed even as he dug through the food bag.

Prompto shrugged slightly. "Better the arm than my leg or chest or something," he mumbled.

Noctis grabbed some juice and then had to basically feed it to him, small sips to hopefully keep him from vomiting. He found himself wrapping an arm around Prompto's waist and the MT leant into him.

"M'sorry…lying to you…just…wanted to know…it's like," he mumbled, sounding barely awake.

"What what's like?" He asked, not liking how pale he was. He should have stopped him as soon as he smelt blood.

"Havin' a friend," he answered, body going limp and Noctis listened intently even as he felt for a pulse. He was still breathing, heart beating, and…core humming away. He lay Prompto down and covered him in blankets since blood loss would make him cold.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just follow his instincts when they were so badly compromised. He watched Prompto sleep for a while before peeling back the blankets and then reaching out, he found the core and then felt out from there, pressing hard. He found nothing else that felt out of place, it felt like human flesh and bone. If that was true…then the Empire was even more depraved than they thought. Unless his Dad and others did know where MT's really came from? Was it kept secret to keep the troops from hesitating in battle?

He wanted so badly for Prompto to be telling the truth, for him to be free of the Empire, a real person. One that had chosen to help him because it was the right thing to do. But...how could even Prompto know for sure? How could he be positive his mind was his own? That he wasn't leading them into a trap without knowing it? But you couldn't program a human like a machine, right?

Noctis covered him back up, hesitating, but then he grabbed Prompto's bag and went through it. Clothing, toiletries, an old novel, some survival rations…and in an inner pocket was a very old set of dog tags. Stamped into the metal was; N-iP01357, 05953234, M.E. 735. He looked back over at Prompto and then pulled his arm free, looking down at the barcode, seeing the same numbers around it. Some sort of identification code then, and probably his year of birth, so they really were the same age. He repacked the bag and then grabbed the bloody knife, sticking it out into the rain to wash it off. He then grabbed a towel to try and clean up the mess of Prompto's blood.

He finally ran out of things to do except sit, think, and keep an eye on Prompto, though there wasn't much he could do for him if that mess of a wound got infected or even kept bleeding internally. It had been such an impulsive, stupid thing to do.

Was staying the same thing for him as cutting his arm had been for Prompto? Dangerous and crazy? He didn't want to leave, to try and make it home on his own. He couldn't take Prompto to the city, even if he was telling the truth about everything, no one would ever believe him. He'd be killed or…or treated like a captured MT, pulled apart to see if they could find a way to defend against them. No, better to die than that.

They would have to part once in Leide, he would get access to funds, make sure Prompto would have the money to go where he wanted, to give up hunting. Then he would go home and forget about him, he wouldn't tell anyone about what he was so no one would hunt him down.

He shook his head and sighed, no matter how he tried to ignore it, he wanted Prompto to be telling the truth. He knew why and he still had trouble considering it was all a lie.

He lay down to try and rest a bit, only to wake in the morning curled around the still pale Prompto who was deeply asleep or even unconscious. At least he hadn't died in the night, so he should heal alright, he hoped.

_TBC…_


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_Started playing Jedi Fallen Order today, still prefer FFXV. The controls are a pain to remember and way too finicky to do things. I think I fell about 100 times trying to jump and catch a rope._

_Pairings now chosen for this! Noctis/Ignis/Gladio and Noctis/Prompto for now. _

**Chapter 6**

Noctis watched Prompto sleep, he wasn't an expert on humans, let alone MT's, but he thought he was sleeping more normally than he had been at first. Now that he was aware of it, he couldn't stop hearing the core and he shifted the blankets to stare at pale skin, carefully pressing down where Prompto had, watching the shift under the skin, the red glow coming through the skin. He froze as Prompto shifted slightly, groaning softly, but then he settled and Noct found his hand in bright blonde hair, running through it, offering comfort.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

His head was throbbing and he felt really sick…he didn't get sick…he tried to move but his body felt too heavy. Had he been hurt? He groaned and then he felt cool fingers in his hair….Noct…he struggled to open his eyes, to ask what was going on. It felt like he had weights attached to his eyes but finally he got them open, everything blurry.

"Prompto?"

"Mmmm…N…Noct…" he tried to lift his head and then he felt cool hands under his shoulders, pulling him up and he swallowed hard, he was thirsty, really thirsty. "Wa…ter…" there was the noise of movement and then a bottle was pressed to his lips and he swallowed, tasting juice. Juice…good for blood loss.

"Drink slowly," Noctis told him and he struggled to focus, to remember what had happened. "You lost a lot of blood."

"H'rt?"

"You stabbed yourself," was the answer. "You don't remember?"

He kept drinking the juice, struggling, and then… "Oh…" he'd cut his arm open to prove he wasn't a machine. He looked up at Noctis, trying to tell what he was thinking, glad his vision was clearing up. "You stayed," he whispered.

"Well it's pouring out there," Noctis looked away. "Think you can eat something?"

Prompto considered it before nodding, trying to push himself up further but it didn't really work so Noctis shifted behind him, supporting him while dragging the food bag closer. "Something easy please."

"Right," Noctis dug around and then held up a granola bar.

Prompto nodded and Noctis opened it for him, handing it over and Prompto managed to get it up to his mouth, taking a bite and chewing slowly. He was feeling a lot better already and he knew it meant his healing had kicked into overdrive with the intact of fluids. He stayed still as he ate, enjoying having Noctis hold him, something he doubted would happen again. Just because he'd stayed while Prompto was vulnerable, didn't mean he'd stick around once he was stronger and the rain stopped. The last real danger was the Prairie Outpost and Niff base near it, once past that it was a clear shot through to Hammerhead and Noct would be safe there.

Staying at camp with him had been dangerous, they were too close to both locations, too easy to find. Noctis could have left him behind and snuck by on his own. He would have either died or healed. Did that mean he believed him? That he still wanted him around?

Eating the bar had him exhausted and fighting to keep his eyes open but he didn't want more sleep.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noct looked down, seeing Prompto fighting to keep his eyes open, so he shifted around until they were laying down, taking the risk to stay curled with him. "Go back to sleep," he whispered.

"Don't wanna," Prompto mumbled and Noctis bit back a laugh at how childish he sounded. He looked cute, half asleep and hair a mess.

"You need it, you lost a lot of blood. I won't leave," he promised and then he felt Prompto's hand fumble at his so he took it, squeezing gently. "I promise. Sleep," he made eye contact, pushing. Normally it wouldn't work on an MT but if Prom was still mostly human…blue eyes fell shut as he went to sleep. Huh, so that did work, that was another check in the proof Prompto was still partially human. He tugged the blankets around Prompto since his own cool temperature wouldn't be helping Prompto recover. He should let go but he also didn't want to, it was comfortable and he missed the guys and the easy affection between them.

He knew staying where they were was dangerous. That they were close to two enemy bases, the Hunters and the Empire, but he didn't know where to go to get past them. Them…he was crazy but…he didn't want to just leave Prompto. He couldn't take him to the city, it was way too dangerous for everyone. Hammerhead maybe? Cape Caem or Galdin Quay? They were all towns with good links to the Crown, Prompto wouldn't be looked down on for leaving hunting there. Then again, he'd been at Caem when he was taken so maybe it wasn't that safe.

He stayed awake all day and night, making sure Prompto drank every time he stirred and to his relief the next morning Prompto woke up normally. "You look better."

"Feel it," Prompto stretched and then slowly sat up. "Thanks…for looking after me," he offered a shaky smile and Noctis nodded.

"You did the same for me," Noctis shrugged slightly. Was that why he had stayed, returning the favour?

"Any sign we've been spotted?"

"Nothing I've picked up," and he'd been keeping his senses peeled, checking the perimeter whenever he had left Prom's side.

"We should move," he reached for the food bag, grabbing a serving of cup noodles, eating them cold.

Noctis nodded and began packing things up, keeping an eye on Prompto as he downed his food and then carefully got up. He was hiding it well, but he was still tired, Noctis could tell, but they really should move on. They soon had the camp packed away and then they were in the truck, heading towards Leide. They didn't get all that far before Prompto put the truck in reverse, back around the corner. They silently got out and Prompto led the way up an embankment where they lay down and peered out at what they had glimpsed.

"Blockade," Noctis hissed and Prompto nodded.

"There's only so many roads we could have taken. Backtracking will take far too long and there's likely blockades there too. We could fight our way through, but we don't know how many there are further in and we'd be alerting the Empire to our location. We could ditch the truck and head in on foot but that's a lot of desert to cross, especially for you with how strong the sun is. We could backtrack to the last station we stopped at, they had a Chocobo rental stand, I sell the truck and we take the birds. We'll still be exposed to the sun but we'll be able to move faster," Prompto murmured softly.

Noctis frowned, none of the options were good. Yes, they could try another way into Leide, but they would all give them a longer journey once past any possible blockade. This one was only three days from Hammerhead. There was risks to every option….walking was the most dangerous in the long term, it would push their travel time up a lot, leaving them exposed. Attacking the blockade though was also very high risk, who knew how many MT's were hidden within.

Fighting MT's now….knowing they started out as human babies, it made him feel sick. How much worse would it be for Prompto to fight them? Could he make him do that? He glanced at Prompto who looked at him and offered a sad smile. Most of his smiles had a sadness to them, barely noticeable, but this one was obvious.

"They aren't human anymore Noctis, just miasma powered machines. Killing them is freeing anything that might be left. I've done it before, it's the unknown numbers that have me worried, I don't have unlimited ammo and your magic burns through your reserves, in this heat…"

There was a way to give Prompto unlimited ammunition… Ignis would give him the stare and Gladio would kick his ass for even thinking it. It would tie them together for life…unless Prompto betrayed him and then the magic would extract a price from the mortal. Every instinct said he could trust Prompto with access to his magic…and it would mean it wouldn't be so taxing to give him spell flasks and he might even be able to help heal him if he got hurt again. If they chose to backtrack then he was buying human appropriate potions, he didn't want to watch Prompto bleed out or something. They should have stocked up after using the last one during the fight with Deadeye but funds were tight. He liked the idea of having Prompto linked to him, even when they parted he'd always know Prom was okay.

"Backtrack," he whispered and Prompto nodded so they slipped back to the truck, driving for the Alstor Coernix Station.

He closed his eyes as if resting, considering things. He had made his choice, instincts or not, he trusted Prompto. He'd given so much proof that he wasn't the enemy, that he cared about him and not because he was the Prince. He'd given up his life as a Hunter to get him home safely, had fed him his blood… even if Prompto was fully human, he would still like and trust him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto parked the truck and got out, looking around subtly but there was no sign of increased Imperial presence in the countryside. He began unloading the truck, watching in awe as things vanished in a flash of blue light, leaving them with one bag each. Once that was done, they got back in and drove to the station. Noctis jammed a baseball cap on to help hide and keep the sun off his face as they got out. He led the way into the service station and headed for the counter. "Hey," he greeted the man who grinned.

"Need fuel?"

"Actually, I was looking to sell her, need to upsize. Anyone looking to buy?"

"Not that I know of. Old Mick might take it off your hands, he runs scrap metal and the like. He'll be in the diner."

"Thanks." He grabbed a few things to re-stock with and then Noctis put down some curatives as well. They paid and then headed over to the diner where Prompto ordered some chips to 'share' plus two bottles of water, the only fluid other than blood that Noctis could drink, though not in great amounts. He sipped slowly, pretending to help eat the food while Prompto asked about Old Mick and then went to work negotiating a fair price. Finally they shook hands and he handed over the keys.

"Could you turn that up please?" Noctis called to the owner who glanced over before turning the radio up, the diner falling silent as they listened to the special broadcast from Insomnia.

"_After over a month missing with no sightings, Crown Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum had been declared dead by the Royal Council. The state funeral for the young Royal will be held in three days' time. Condolences have been pouring in to the city. While rarely seen the Prince was well loved by the people. This announcement brings the line of succession into doubt as King Regis now has no living family. Perhaps after a period of mourning the King will finally remarry." _A solemn voice announced to the silent room.

"The Prince is dead?" One of the customers asked.

"I may not like vampires, but this is not going to be good," another muttered from nearby and Prompto reached out to take Noctis' hand under the counter, gently squeezing.

"Keep your head down," he whispered. "Don't react."

"They…." Noctis choked.

"Come on, time to go," Prompto tugged him up and then out of the diner, going around the corner into the shade. "Come on Noct, breath," he coached, using the nickname for the first time since the truth had come out. He stroked a cool cheek and Noctis took in a shaky breath and then another. "It's okay, it'll be alright," he soothed and then he had his arms full of supposedly dead Prince, and he hugged him. "You'll get home and it will all be worked out. I bet your Dad will be so happy to see you home safe."

"I miss him," Noctis admitted.

"I know, and you'll see him soon.," he promised. He would get Noctis home no matter what it took. "Come on," he led Noctis back to the station store and went in, going to the phone section to buy one. "There's got to be a number you can call to let them know you're alive."

Noctis blinked at him and Prompto set the phone up before handing it over. "Phones can be tracked…"

"Yeah, which is why after you use it we'll have to destroy it."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis took it slowly, staring at the cheap phone, trying to think of what number to call. None of the secure numbers would work without a Crownsguard issued phone but the Citadel did have unsecured lines. He took a breath and dialled from memory.

"_Good afternoon, Citadel tours, how may I help you?"_ A subdued female voice answered.

"This is Prince Noctis, code 356940246Mystic," he answered, the code was the only way he had to confirm his identity.

There was silence on the other end. _"Uh…please hold."_

He listened to the annoying music and then heard the click of the line being transferred. _"Sleepy?"_ a familiar voice asked and Noctis swallowed.

"Uncle," he answered Cor, closing his eyes at hearing the voice he'd known all his life.

"_Where are you?"_

"Lucis, trying to get home. There's Imperial blockades making it a bit harder," he quickly explained.

"Are you hurt?"

"I was, but I'm okay now. I'm coming home," he promised.

"_ETA?"_

"Unknown. Having to move slowly to stay under the radar."

"_Are you alone?"_

"No, I've got help."

"_You trust this help?"_ Cor asked and Noct looked at Prompto who was renting the Chocobos, letting him talk privately.

"Yeah," he whispered. "He saved my life at high risk to himself. I've got to ditch the phone; we think we're being tracked."

"_We'll deploy the Glaive throughout Leide, find them and they'll bring you home."_

"Okay. Uncle?"

"_Yes?"_

"Tell Dad….I'm sorry? I miss him."

"_I will and then you can tell him yourself."_

"Don't cancel the funeral…it's safer if people think I'm dead," he hated saying it but the more people who thought he was dead the more they would brush off his likeness to the Prince as coincidence.

"_Understood. Be careful."_

"Bye," Noct whispered before hanging up and then dropping the phone, smashing it under his boot.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto looked over at the crunching sound, seeing the tears in his eyes. "Hey, you okay?" he asked and Noctis nodded shakily.

"Yeah…they took my code and transferred the call."

"That's good, right? They'll tell your Dad and it'll be okay."

"Told them not to cancel the funeral, that it'll make us safer and I hate it."

"I know but you're right, the more people thing you're dead the less people who will look for you. Come on, we need to make a Haven before dark." He led him to the birds and they took the time to make sure his mount would accept him before they took off at a good speed, heading out into the Slough. The idea was to cut across to the Malacchi Hills and then down into the Three Valleys, allowing them to avoid roads and civilisation.

It would add a week, maybe more, to their travel time but it was the safest option. There would be plenty of animals for Noctis in the Hills and they would have to do their best to carry blood with them out into the desert, many of the animals there were not so good to drink from.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis looked up as the door to his rooms opened to see Cor storm in, the closest he'd seen to his old friend running in a long time and that had him standing, wondering what could have happened now. "Cor?"

"He's alive," and then Cor smiled.

Regis frowned in confusion and then collapsed back into his chair. "Noctis?"

"Is alive, he called the tour line, gave the code so they transferred him to my office. He gave all the right code signs. He was using a cheap phone which will have been destroyed by now."

"Is he alright? Where is he?"

"I don't know, other than making his way towards Leide. He said he was injured but is now healed. He has help but I don't know who, whoever it is risked their life to save him. the call was recorded," he put the player down and hit play, letting Regis hear his sons voice for the first time since he had vanished from Caem. He sounded healthy. "Likely he called because he heard the funeral announcement."

Regis nodded, Noctis wouldn't want him to think he was dead. "Tell Titus to deploy the Glaive. Once they find Noctis they are to bring him to the Citadel immediately when they find him."

"Of course," Cor agreed.

"These blockades…they need to be dealt with, get with Titus and start working on a plan."

Cor nodded and left. Regis leant back in his chair, rubbing his Ring. Noctis was alive and somewhere in Lucis. What had happened to him? Why hadn't he called sooner? No…without his phone he would know he would only be able to call unsecured lines, lines that could be tapped. If he was avoiding pursuit then he would not call. He sighed and then got up, Ignis and Gladio needed to know. Not that Ignis thought Noctis was dead, he had been the one to insist Noct still lived and they should have listened to him. His powers were different to theirs and he was bound tightly to Noctis. They knew so little of his kind that it was easy to think it was just loyalty and optimism but obviously his instance had been more than that.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto opened his eyes and blinked up at the tent, what had woken him? it was still dark outside, dark and quiet… so why was he awake? He glanced down, finding Noctis asleep, curled up against him, head on his chest, like how he'd slept before he'd known what Prom was. He couldn't help reaching down to run fingers through fine black hair. He found himself smiling softly as Noct began purring, rubbing his cheek against his shirt.

Noctis was nothing like what he had been taught or even what he'd heard said about him since coming to Lucis. He wished he was fully human, just a normal guy, maybe he could have even grown up in Insomnia, met him at school since he knew Noctis had attended a normal public one. They could have really been friends, without his stupid genetics getting in the way. Noctis trusted him but they both knew he was being influenced to do so, no matter what Prompto had done to try and minimise it. He really liked Noctis, he didn't want to lose the one friend he'd ever had but once they made it to Hammerhead or found the Glaive….he'd never see him again. Maybe one of them would recognise him and kill him on sight, putting an end to everything. He did wonder if Noctis would miss him, grieve for him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis purred, enjoying the feel of warm fingers in his hair, rubbing his cheek against rough cloth. He inhaled the scent that screamed safety, drifting somewhere between sleep and waking. He kneaded the cloth with a hand, purr changing pitch as he arched his head back, offering his throat. He shivered as warm fingers traced the skin…warm fingers…Iggy was warmer…but not human warm….Iggy was home, he was…

Dark blue eyes opened to find not his rooms but the inside of a familiar tent. It wasn't Ignis holding him, it was Prompto. He…he should stop, he wouldn't understand the offering. Would he? Then he felt warm lips press to the skin over his carotid and he whined.

"Sorry, no fangs," Prompto whispered.

He froze briefly. So he did know…he should be embarrassed but he wasn't. Ignis fed off him and Gladio and they occasional drank from him. It'd been too long and now that they were relatively safe in the hills, his body was craving Ignis' bite. It wasn't something anyone knew outside of them, his Dad, Uncle Clarus and Cor. The Council just knew that Ignis' needs were seen to privately; they would completely flip if they knew who was helping him. He doubted Prompto would guess that but vampires only bit each other for pleasure. Which meant Prom would know he….well, nothing wrong with that.

"Hey, it's okay," Prompto whispered.

Noctis looked up at him, able to see him even in the dark. There was no disgust at his actions, if anything there was…longing? How alone had Prompto been since his escape? Unable to get too close to anyone in case the realised what he was? He'd admitted Noctis was the only friend he'd ever had. Had he ever even been with someone? He pushed himself up on one elbow, looking down at him.

"Noct?" Prompto asked, obviously trying to make him out in the dark. Noctis reached out to trace his face and Prompto shivered but then reached up to grab his hand. "Noct don't."

"Why not?" he asked softly.

"Obviously you're with someone and managing to keep it out of the press. You'll be back with them soon."

"it's complicated," he admitted. "Part of that is we're okay with being with others."

"Noctis…you don't even trust me, not beyond how you're being influenced."

Noct shook his head and then realised Prompto couldn't see him so he reached for the lamp, switching it on. "I trust you," he said once Prompto could see him. "You could have let me die, turned me in at the blockade….you nearly killed yourself to show me the truth. You're my friend Prom, I know that, past the influence." He ran his fingers down Prompto's cheek again and Prompto swallowed, licking his lips nervously and Noctis leant in, pressing his lips to Prompto's. Maybe it was stupid and crazy but…he didn't want Prompto to be so alone.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It had taken him a few minutes to work things out and then he'd felt Noctis arch his head back, exposing his throat and he remembered something from his last lessons at the facility. He couldn't help himself when he pressed his lips to the offered skin, hearing the ever so quiet whine. "Sorry, no fangs," Prompto whispered to remind Noct just who he was with, that it was him and not whoever Noctis' partner was.

That was a shock, how had that been kept from the press? After all, there was only one reason for a vampire to bite another. "Hey, it's okay," he promised when Noctis froze for a second, not like he would tell anyone. It didn't disgust him or anything, everyone deserved someone. He'd never dared himself, too dangerous, too much chance of being discovered. Noctis couldn't help whatever he'd been dreaming to make him think he was with his partner. He felt Noctis move and tried to see him in the dark. He had better night vision than a normal human but not good enough to really see anything in utter pitch blackness.

"Noct?" Prompto asked, feeling a cool hand trace his face and he shivered but then reached up to grab his hand. "Noct don't."

"Why not?" was the soft question and it stunned him briefly.

"Obviously you're with someone and managing to keep it out of the press. You'll be back with them soon," he promised.

"it's complicated," Noctis admitted. "Part of that is we're okay with being with others."

"Noctis…you don't even trust me, not beyond how you're being influenced." This was all because of what he was, Noctis would never actually want him. He blinked as the camp lamp turned on, looking up at Noctis.

"I trust you," he said once Prompto could see him. "You could have let me die, turned me in at the blockade….you nearly killed yourself to show me the truth. You're my friend Prom, I know that, past the influence." Noctis ran his fingers down his cheek again.

Prompto swallowed, licking his lips nervously, it was just the influence of his being an MT causing this. Then Noctis leant in, pressing his lips to Prompto's. He stiffened, he wouldn't kiss back, this wasn't real, but….it felt nice. He'd never been kissed before…he hadn't gotten to that part of training.

"I trust you Prom," Noctis murmured against his lips.

He wanted so badly to believe him, staring into his eyes. "Noct…I…."

"I know you're human Prompto, I couldn't put a machine to sleep like I did when you were recovering," he admitted and Prompto's eyes widened. He'd….oh…he knew he was vulnerable to such things because he was still mostly human but he'd never really thought about it. They were both vulnerable to each other. "I tried to tell myself to leave you when you were unconscious but I couldn't, not just because of the trust. I know it's there and I can think around it. I like you Prompto, we're friends, right?"

"Right," he agreed, unable to help smiling slightly. Friends, his first ever friend.

Noctis smiled at him and then brushed his lips against his again. "I like you Prom and I know…once I go home, we'll never see each other again and I hate that. I know you can't trust anyone close, because they could work it out."

He stared at Noct, not sure what to do. Noctis was beautiful, anyone could see that, but it wasn't just his appearance. He could be moody and quiet sure but he had a good heart. The idea of letting this happen was very appealing but was it right?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis wanted him to say yes so badly, because he liked him, he was kind and attractive and yeah… he was craving Ignis badly. He'd been ignoring it as best he could since waking in Prom's apartment but they'd never been apart for so long before and it was getting dangerously distracting. He needed something to take the edge off, though he knew nothing would fully work until he was home and had Ignis' fangs in his throat. That he could give something to Prompto in return, something he wouldn't risk with anyone else, was definitely a bonus. He leant down and kissed him a third time and this time Prompto relaxed, a hesitant hand lifting to curl over his shoulder.

_TBC…_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 7**

Ignis gasped, eyes closing as he felt….Noct….he was, good, he was obviously with someone he trusted enough to let that close.

"Iggy?" Gladio cupped his cheek and he opened his eyes to smile up at him.

"Noct is with someone," he murmured.

"It's been over a month, you've never been parted this long before, he must have been craving badly," Gladio shifted to his side rather than leaning over him. The funeral was tomorrow and they really needed sleep but…maybe lack of sleep would make their grief more realistic. "At least we know he's alive and on his way home."

"Maybe if we were closer I could track him," Ignis sighed, curling into him and Gladio lifted a hand to run his fingers through normally neat hair and Iggy sighed, pressing into his touch.

"You should feed," he offered, hand moving down to Ignis' neck, massaging the skin, feeling Ignis shiver, seeing his eyes change from green to silver, fangs extending.

"Sure?" he asked and Gladio nodded.

"You're hungry and feedback from Noct will only make it worse," he leant in and kissed him. ignis rolled them, straddling him, without breaking the kiss, their fangs clashing as Gladio's extended in his growing excitement.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis gently coaxed Prompto into letting him deepen the kiss, showing him what to do, teaching him. it was different, to be the one who knew what they were doing, Gladio'd had experience and Ignis had instinct to guide him making him seem experienced even before he had been. He knew MT's were used to seduce but Prompto had been rather young when he ran so he probably hadn't started that training. He hesitated when he felt his fangs extend in reaction to the kissing but Prompto didn't freeze or pull back, both hands now on his shoulders, clinging.

He broke the kiss to let Prom breath and he moaned, panting slightly, closed eyes opening to stare up at Noctis. He'd never kissed a human before and he touched a flushed cheek, feeling the heat of the blood pooling there. He stroked his thumb over Prompto's cheek as his breathing calmed some. "Good?" he asked and Prompto nodded.

"Yeah," he whispered.

"More?" he asked and Prompto swallowed.

"More?" he asked in confusion.

"How far do you want to go?" he asked to clarify, slipping a hand under Prom's shirt, feeling goose bumps rise on his skin. Bright blue eyes went wide as he realised what he was asking.

"I….I've never…I don't know what…" his cheeks were even redder, and Noctis realised some of hit was embarrassment due to lack of knowledge. Just how little did he know?

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio groaned as sharp fangs sank into his throat, releasing potent venom into his blood stream. It was always good but the venom made it even better and it meant Ignis would feed well.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto felt his cheeks going red. He knew people were 'together'. He'd seen hunters go off with others, sometimes the opposite gender and sometimes not, that when they were different genders kids were sometimes the result. He just didn't know exactly how. He'd been too ashamed to ask and had never been interested. He'd never even bothered with research into the topic. He knew about touching himself to feel good and assumed that was involved but that was about it. He'd seen kissing too and he now knew that felt very nice. "I….I've never…I don't know what…" he stammered out. He relaxed when Noct kissed him again, clinging to him. He felt Noct move to straddle him, resting over his upper thighs. He wasn't very heavy so it wasn't uncomfortable and it gave a better angle for what they were doing.

He could feel his body reacting like it did when he touched himself except no one was touching him, was it because he liked the kissing? Then Noctis shifted forward and he gasped.

"Good?" Noctis asked and he nodded, it felt really good! He mimicked what Noct was doing, rocking his hips up against him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio lapped the blood off of Ignis' throat, healing the bite wound he'd left there before Ignis kissed him again, eyes still silver though his fangs had retracted. He curled up against Gladio who wrapped an arm around his waist, unable to help the deep rumbling purr but he knew Ignis loved getting them to purr. "Better?"

"Mmm…they're still going…I think," Ignis' eyes became unfocused as he reached out to Noctis. "I think his partner is innocent."

"Really? Huh. Hope Noct knows what he's doing."

"He wouldn't do anything risky," Ignis denied.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis rested his head over Prom's chest, hearing his heart pounding and his core humming louder than normal even as he slowly brought his breathing under control. He licked the blood from his lips, shocked that Prom had offered his throat, allowed him to bite. He hadn't taken more than two mouthfuls, not when Prompto had lost so much blood recently. He was purring in contentment now.

Prompto really did know nothing about sex, how that was possible after living with hunters for years he didn't know. Then again he had been a kid when they took him in, they may have kept him away from that and then when he got older everyone could have assumed someone else had given him the 'Talk'.

He felt fingers threading through his hair again and smiled, nuzzling into his shirt. He felt better, even though it wasn't fully what he'd been wanting. He wasn't going to push Prom though, not when he was so…innocent, not something he would have imagined with how worldly he had seemed since they met.

He didn't want to move but things were going to get uncomfortable soon. "Need to change," he mumbled and Prompto groaned but he heard Prom shuffling a hand through a bag and then a clean pair of pants was dropped on his chest. "Thanks." He wriggled out of his current ones and used them to clean himself before putting the new ones off. Prompto needed to change too though, he sighed and rolled off him so he could change.

"Was…was I okay?"

Noctis sat up and smiled at him. "It's not a competition. The idea is that both people involved enjoy it and feel good. Did you?"

"Yeah," he admitted with a soft smile.

"So did I," he assured him. "Thank you."

"So when people go off alone together, that's what they're doing?" he yawned.

"It's part of it," he kissed him again. "Go to sleep, I'll explain more if you want later."

"Kay," he closed his eyes, relaxing.

Noctis smiled when he fell asleep straight away, pulling the sleeping bag up and over them before curling against him to sleep. he did wonder if Iggy might have felt any of that….

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It seemed like the entire city was lining the streets as the procession of cars drove through the city. But there were no cheers or happy chatter. The city was draped in the black of mourning for a life cut short far too son. Noctis was not a very public figure, but he was their Prince and the people mourned with their King. The King had kept the pictures of Noctis being shown to a minimum, no one knew it was to help keep his son safe on his trip home.

Masses of flowers had been left before the Citadel to show the peoples grief and condolences. Those who had attended school with Noctis had been hounded a bit by the press before the Crownsguard had intervened. Thankfully, they had all kept their silence.

Regis stepped up to the podium that had been set up, Clarus and Cor with him. Gladio and Ignis stood off to the side, heads bowed in grief, both looking tired. No one knew it was because they had been up most of the night, enjoying the feedback from Noctis. They were just glad they didn't have to speak, only the King would.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto fiddled with the small portable radio while Noct drank his morning blood. "You sure you want to listen to this?" he asked and Noctis nodded. "I guess most people don't get to know what is said about them at their own funeral." He got it tuned and put it down to see to his own breakfast. They listened as the commentator explained the mood of the people, the way the city was draped in black and flowers. Noctis flinched slightly when his Dad was described and then his own two Retainers, all described as exhausted looking.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis sealed the container and put it down, listening to the descriptions. He had a feeling he knew why Gladio and Ignis looked tired. Ignis had probably felt what he was doing last night so the two of them had likely been occupied as well. Ignis did need to keep fed after all, especially with such a public event. Obviously the Council hadn't believed him when he claimed Noctis was still alive. His kind were very rare and without knowing about Ignis feeding from him, they would have no reason to believe it was more than a hunch. He did kind of hope Iggy had gotten revenge on them for doubting him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He listened to the broadcast with a frown. Two teams had been sent to secure the Prince, neither had reported back and so were assumed dead. Had they killed the boy? Or was the funeral a ruse? Some expensive and irreplaceable equipment had been sent with those teams, what had happened to it?

Then there was the massive increase in Glaive presence in Leide, the blockades into the area had been attacked, one destroyed fully. That would seem to indicate that they had been right to place them.

"Summon Chancellor Izunia and General Glauca."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They rode silently through the Hills, always on the lookout for danger. Very few people ever ventured beyond the low foothills that bordered the Slough. The Hills themselves weren't that hard to cross, it was the wildlife that kept everyone away. Behemoths roamed freely as did Coeurl packs, at night the daemons were nasty, and there were only two Havens in the whole Hills. It meant that Noctis had to secure their camps every night, burning magic and blood he really needed to conserve for the trip through the desert.

They stopped up against a rock wall, giving them one safe side to the camp, two hours before sundown. The terrain up ahead was too heavily wooded to risk with the dimming light levels. Prompto set up the tent and got a fire going while Noctis worked his magic, literally and then they sat side by side in front of the flames while Prompto's dinner cooked, the only hot meal he was getting a day. Noctis finished off his canister of blood, he would need to restock in the morning.

Noctis reached over and took Prompto's hand in his own once they were down tugging him closer and Prompto moved willingly. He really wished one of the guys was with them to handle the coming discussion, but they weren't there, it was up to him….something he hadn't expected to have to do for another century or two with his own kid. How was he even meant to start it? Was he just meant to ask if he knew where babies came from?

"Noct?"

"Do you…want to talk about what you asked?"

"Oh," Prompto hesitated. "This is something I should know, isn't it?"

"Yeah, no clue how you don't. Didn't any of the hunters ever talk to you about relationships or sex?"

"No. Sex? I think…some of the older kids said something a month or two before I ran but I wasn't really paying attention."

"You knew what kissing is though."

"That I've seen. Saw two guards once, people in Gralea, all over Lucis, hunters too."

"Do you…know where babies come from?"

"I've seen animals give birth," he offered.

Well that was better than nothing. He was so glad he didn't blush easily. "You know men and women's bodies are different."

"Yeah."

Noctis nodded and paused to consider what to say first.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Ignis, come in," Regis waved him in and Ignis entered the room, shutting the door behind himself.

"You wished to see my, Your Majesty?"

"Can you sense anything from Noctis other than that he is alive?" He asked, nodding at a chair so Ignis sat. Ignis hesitated to answer which was odd. He must have sensed something then. "Ignis?"

"He was with someone two nights ago, before the funeral. I believe he was the one to initiate it, after so long apart…."

"I see. He admitted to Cor that he is travelling with someone who saved his life, it seems likely that was who he was with." They all knew that Ignis' feeding came with potential side effects but no one had expected them to be separated for so long or over such a distance. He just hoped whoever it was, they were as trustworthy as Noctis believed. "Is he close enough for you to pick up if they run into trouble?"

"Perhaps, I'm not sure."

It was obvious he didn't like admitting his lack of knowledge. It was not his fault, there had not been an incubus born in centuries, the gene had lain dormant in his family without anyone remembering. Which meant there was no one to teach him, he had to rely on old stories and his own instincts. He'd had a horrendous time during puberty, trying to learn to control his growing powers with no one to teach him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto rode quietly, unable to stop thinking about everything Noctis had told him. a few things he'd heard and seen over the years now made a lot more sense. He'd known that a relationship was between two people, that it meant they kissed and went off alone, touched each other in public by holding hands or touching their faces, that was why he'd told Noct to stop. He hadn't realised there was so much more to it than that, though it did explain why his body reacted the way it did to certain things. Some of it sounded rather strange but…he was curious.

He had been taught that vampires would bite each other because it felt good, he just hadn't been told exactly what that meant. Obviously that had been what the older clones had been speaking of, it also why they put out pheromones and stuff they did to draw them in, it wasn't just to make them trust them. Now he was really curious about how it had been kept from the press. If he had, he may have been a bit more embarrassed when Noctis had been purring and offering his throat.

Now that he knew….if Noct asked….he glanced over at the vampire who had his cap on again, shielding his face. They were high in the Hills and while the tree cover was good, the sun that made it through was strong. Now that he knew what being with someone really involved, he was very glad he'd never tried, there would have been no way to hide the hum of his core, or the port in his arm if it'd been touched. Noctis may be the only one who would ever accept what he was and still like him beyond that.

The last thing he needed was his head being a complicated mess of new information and he wasn't sure what to do with it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"We'll be out of the Hills tomorrow," Prompto told him as he began eating the stew made from the remains of Noctis' meal. The temperature had been rising steadily all day, the tree cover beginning to thin. They had refilled every water canteen they had to ensure they had enough, though it would still need careful rationing to last until Hammerhead.

"The Glaive should be deployed throughout Leide, if we're lucky we'll run into a team tomorrow. They should know we're avoiding roads."

"We could also run into imperial troops, all it takes is one seeing us, or a drop ship picking us up on scanners." As he spoke, Prompto rolled his sleeve up and began wrapping a bandage around his right wrist before replacing the band he wore to cover the barcode.

"Why?" he pointed at Prom's wrist.

"Normal scanners can pick up on the barcode through clothing. I don't know how strong the ones on a ship would be. Hopefully the extra layers of bandage will block them. I've looked over the map, there's nowhere to stock up on ammo out here so the less fighting the better."

"There's a way…to have unlimited ammo," Noctis admitted softly.

"What?" Prompto looked at him, obviously confused.

"I can hook you into my magic, into the Armiger. With that, your weapons could be stored in there and you would then summon them to hand when needed. It would also supply all the ammo you need."

Prompto stared at him with wide eyes. "Um….that sounds like a really big deal and not something you're meant to offer to just anyone."

"Only people I trust," Noctis agreed. "Usually, only human retainers, to give them an edge against any non-human opponent. Ignis is linked in," because his powers ran to seduction and sex, not battle. Gladio as a vampire had his own magic, though not as strong as Noct's, he could store his sword and shield though. "Even once I'm home, you'd have access, for as long as you live. The only way it'd stop would be if I broke it, or you did something the magic saw as a betrayal. I'd know if you died and you'd know if I did, you'd have a minute or two to grab anything you stored in the Armiger before the magic dissipated. You could store all your gear in there if you wanted to."

Prompto was still staring at him, looking a little lost.

Noctis shifted around to face him fully, taking his hands, squeezing gently. "I trust you Prompto, I care about you. The thought of you out here, blacklisted by the hunters, cut off from easy access to things like ammunition…I hate it. I don't want anything to happen to you just because you helped me."

"Noct…" he whispered shakily.

He smiled softly and then kissed him briefly. "Please, let me do this."

Prompto swallowed but then nodded. "Okay, if you're sure. What do I do?"

Noctis summoned a piece of paper and wrote the Oath on it. It wasn't the one Ignis had sworn, or Cor to his Dad, but Prompto wouldn't be remaining at his side like a normal Retainer. He handed it over and Prompto read it before nodding. Noctis offered his hand and Prompto took it before reading the words on the paper.

"I, Prompto Argentum, will be to Noctis Lucis Caelum faithful and true, and love all that he loves, and shun all that he shuns, according to the Astrals law, and according to Lucis' principles, and never, by will nor by force, by word nor by work, do ought of what is loathful to him; on condition that he keep me as I am willing to deserve, and all that fulfil that our agreement was, when I to him submitted and chose his will," Prompto read out, eyes widening as crystals of blue magic swirled around their hands. If anyone ever found out what Prompto was, the wording of the Oath would help assure them that he held no loyalty to the Empire.

"I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, accept your Oath. It is right that those who offer to us unbroken fidelity should be protected by our aid. And since such and such a faithful one of ours, by the favour of the Astrals, has seen fit to swear trust and fidelity to us in our hand, therefore I decree and command by the present precept that for the future such and such above Prompto Argentum be counted with the number of Royal Retainers." The magic surged around them before sinking into Prompto's skin. "In accepting your Oath, I offer what protection I can give you, my friendship, and my magic." He waited for a few more seconds and then let go of Prompto's hand. "Formalities are over."

"That felt…weird and cold but also good," Prompto admitted.

"Now you just have to learn how to use it," Noctis grinned and Prompto smiled back.

_TBC…_

_So that was a slightly altered medieval vow of fealty and response found online. _


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 8**

Ignis froze, eyes wide and Gladio turned to him in concern, seeing his Dad straighten up from where he'd been relaxing. "Ignis?" Gladio called, gripping his shoulders, please not Noct, not when they had confirmation he was alive…

"Noct….he…" Ignis whispered dazedly.

"Ignis? What's wrong? What about Noctis?" he demanded and Ignis blinked, swallowing.

"No Gladio, he's okay," Ignis told him and Gladio relaxed.

"Then what?"

"He…added someone to the Armiger."

"What?" Why would he do that? Who could it be? He distantly noticed his Dad grabbing his phone, probably calling the King to let him know.

"Think it's whoever saved him?" Clarus asked and Ignis nodded slowly.

"Who else would it be?" Ignis asked and yeah, okay, that made sense…except he was only meant to add human Retainers.

"Wait, you mean he's been travelling with a human this whole time?" Guess that answered the question of how he'd been feeding. Did that mean he'd been with a human the other night? Not that there was anything wrong with humans, but they were rather….breakable.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis grinned as Prompto called his gun to hand in a flash of blue and the blond grinned back. They had decided to stay in camp for the day to give Prompto time to get comfortable with accessing the Armiger. Noctis had recalled all of his things to let him store them so that he would be able to access them himself in the future. Watching him learn was so different to when Ignis had, there was an almost innocent amazement and excitement where Ignis had been solemn and honoured. Every day the spent together, the more it hurt to think of leaving Prom behind.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He stared at the map, plotting potential routes. With Leonis watching so closely there was little he could do to assign the Glaive to areas where they were unlikely to find the Prince. He had been able to confirm the boy lived so now it was a race to see who would find him first. He never should have been able to escape the first team, not when they had been given his exact location and a sedative strong enough to keep him out for a week or more. Never trust a monster to do a humans job. He wished he could be the one to capture him, to see the horror and betrayal but he could not risk his position yet.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis slid a hand into wild blond hair, leaning closer, happy when Prompto leant in as well, kissing back. He let his other hand settle on Prom's hip, fingers slipping under his shirt to caress warm skin. Eventually he lay back, pulling Prompto with him so the human was on top of him, seeing his cheeks colour slightly, making his freckles stand out even more. This was their last night of any kind of safety, tomorrow they would leave the hills for the dry, arid plains and valleys of Leide.

He felt a cautious hand slip under his shirt and he pressed up into the touch, feeling Prom become bolder as his warm hand explored Noct's cooler skin. When they parted to let Prompto breath Noctis reached for his shirt and wriggled out of it, not like Prompto hadn't seen him naked before. He saw bright blue eyes widen, taking in his bared chest, and he let him look and then touch before pulling him into another kiss. The next time they stopped, Prompto shyly pulled his own shirt off as well. Noctis reached up, running his hands over warm skin, feeling muscles quiver under his fingers.

"Want you," he whispered.

"Noct?" Prompto asked, unsure what he meant by that.

Noctis reached up to brush some stray hair back from Prompto's face. "I want to show you what it's like," he admitted. He could be Prompto's only chance to ever experience it, the odds of him ever finding someone else who wouldn't care what he was were very low. He saw Prompto's eyes widen slightly, darkening, and he smiled, flashing fangs.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he kissed him again, letting his hands move to stroke over Prompto's back, one dipping down to let his fingers slip under his belt, just under the waistband. "Let me show you," he whispered in his ear, nibbling it gently, careful of his fangs and Prompto shivered against him at the sensation, moaning softly.

"Please, Noct…"

He grinned and carefully undid Prompto's belt and pants, tugging them down and Prompto helped him before Noctis shimmied out of his own. He had to remember that Prom was mostly human which meant he had to watch his strength and…that Prompto's body couldn't adjust like his own could. He could work with that; he didn't really care either way. He spread his legs a bit to let Prompto's body settle, hoping he wasn't too cool but Prompto didn't seem to care about that. They kept kissing and touching each other, Noctis occasionally guiding Prom's hands to a really sensitive spot, helping him learn.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis closed his eyes, feeling Noctis again but this time he got an echo as well…the new addition to the Armiger was the same person Noctis was sleeping with. That was good, right? He wondered who it was, what had made them step in to help Noctis. How would the addition of a newcomer, a human, change things between the three of them?

"Iggy?" Gladio called sleepily and he kissed him gently.

"Go back to sleep," he murmured.

"What's it?"

"Just Noct and his new Retainer," he answered absently and that woke Gladio up further.

"So it's the same person?"

"Seems so, I can feel a slight echo."

"Any closer?"

"Than the other night, yes."

"Good, try to sleep." Gladio settled back down and Ignis tried to force himself to ignore what was being transmitted.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto woke slowly, finding they'd swapped their normal positions and he was half on top of Noct and then he remembered why, unable to help blushing slightly. He'd….he'd been inside Noct's body and it had felt so much better than anything he'd felt before. He'd even let Noct bite him again, sharp fangs sinking into his throat and that had felt good too! From Noct's reactions, being in his position felt really nice too and he wondered what it was like but they had to get moving today. It wouldn't be safe for them to be that distracted once away from the hills; Havens only kept daemons out after all.

He know understood why people were so eager to get some privacy. He also knew he'd never be able to trust anyone but Noctis, not with the audible hum from his core, the way cool fingers had slipped over his arm port.

He wished things could be different, that he could go with him to the city, but it was only a dream.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis kept every inch of skin possible covered as the birds moved at a steady trot across the barren landscape. He hated how exposed they were but there was nothing they could do about it. hopefully they were far enough from the roads that there would be no patrols. What if the bandages weren't enough extra insulation and a ship picked up on Prompto's code? At least running into some Anak meant he got a fresh meal and Prompto had some meat to roast at the Haven that night. They slept lightly, both on edge, waiting to hear the tell-tale sound of a dropships engines above them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

They ducked down behind an outcropping, watching as MT's marched on by, obviously searching.

"Think they know?" Crowe whispered and Nyx nodded.

"Why else would there be so many?" So much for hoping the funeral would convince everyone that Noctis was dead. Then again, the Empire wasn't stupid, why else send them out into Leide in force and have them attack the blockades?

"So what do we do hero? Take 'em out and hope the Prince sees the fight? Try and sneak around?"

Nyx glanced at Pelna and Libertus where they crouched, they could take the MT's easily but it would alert the Empire to their location. Then again, maybe they already knew? What were the odds of a random squad being dumped so close to them? "Take them," he whispered, reaching for his blades, fangs flashing and Crowe grinned, closing her eyes, calling up the magic and the sky darkened in response. That would be visible for miles, hopefully the Prince would see.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis lifted a hand to shade his eyes further, frowning and Prompto turned to see what had caught his attention.

"A storm?"

Noctis smirked. "That's no natural storm, that's Crowe."

"Crowe?" what did a bird have to do with a storm?

"A Glaive, she's causing the clouds."

"Ah, well that's one way to show us where to go," Prompto offered and Noct laughed.

"Probably why she's done it. Come on!" he urged his bird faster and Prompto did the same, racing across the dirt.

They rode quietly for a while before Prompto pulled up. "Noct stop!"

He pulled up and turned to frown at him. "What is it?" he asked, seeing Prompto rub at his chest….his core. "Prom?"

"I…I don't….something's not right," he shook his head, eyes searching the landscape.

Worried, Noctis summoned his sword, looking for any sign of danger, not liking that Prompto didn't seem to know what was happening, that he was rubbing at where the biggest bit of Magitek in his body was located. He caught a flash of light near a rock and squinted. Was that… "Down!" he yelled, lunging off his bird and Prompto followed, bullets hitting the dirt nearby as the Chocobos bolted for safety. They could defend themselves though he'd heard MT's usually left them alone.

Prompto rolled into a crouch, calling his rifle to hand, taking aim and firing. The world around them suddenly seemed to explode and suddenly they were surrounded on all sides by droves of MT's. Noctis swore but called out some spell flasks, tossing the blizzards at the enemy, hoping Crowe would see or sense the magic and realise they were not only close but in serious trouble. The rifle vanished, Prompto moving to his handgun since they were so close, his shots sure. Noctis began warping, trusting Prom not to accidentally hit him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Crowe and Nyx suddenly looked to the southwest. "There!" She called and they saw a small flash. "Magic…blizzard spell."

"Let's move!" Nyx barked, they were covered in dirt and dust but they began to run. They sounds of a massive fight soon reached them, gunfire and swords and then they came to the crest of a hill to see a writhing mass of MT's, the blue trails of someone warping and…someone shooting back at the soldiers. There was no way two people could take on that many, even with one being a Lucis Caelum. The magic and the sun would be weakening the Prince every second the fight went on. They couldn't see much of his companion, just a flash of bright blond hair as he moved from cover to cover while thinning the ranks with excellent shots.

"Nyx…"

"I know," he whispered, not making Libs say it, there were too many even with their team thrown into the mix. He grabbed his phone and dialled but Drautos didn't answer. He skipped Luche and went higher up the chain. "Marshal, have eyes on Sleepy and friend. Small problem, there's about a hundred or more MT's between us and them, sending our coordinates. Captain's not answering."

"_Their condition?"_

"Giving the Niff's hell, whoever that is, they're the best shot I've ever seen. Sleepy can't last too long in this weather though, he's warping like mad."

"_Can you get to them?"_

"Doubtful," he hated admitting it but even if Crowe threw out the biggest spell she could manage alone, and Libertus snuck down invisible while he and Pelna played distraction. He swore softly. "Two dreadnaughts inbound." Not dropships but the massive troop carriers. "They knew we were here," he hissed.

Silence met him and then the Marshal grunted. _"Do what you can, I've alerted the other teams. Use a phone and start recording. If they grab them we need the flightpaths."_

"Understood," he hung up and Crowe nodded, closing her eyes and focusing on calling up as much magic as she could. Before she could cast the ships opened, dropping out not only MT's but the big Magitek armours.

"What the hell is up with the massive overkill?" Libertus demanded.

"They knew we were out here, they need the numbers to keep us from grabbing them and getting clear," Pelna answered, for once deadly serious.

How had they known exactly where their team was, unless…no…but how else? Why hadn't Drautos answered and what had made him skip calling anyone else to call the Marshal himself? "We're compromised," he whispered but then took a deep breath. "Now," he snapped and the biggest thunder spell he'd ever seen lashed down into the mass of soldiers, but well clear of the two fighting for their lives. Libertus vanished from sight as Nyx and Pelna threw themselves into the battle, Crowe hanging back to support them and record everything.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto yelped at the sight of the spell but kept firing, very glad for the unlimited supply of ammo. Help had arrived, but would it be enough? They'd walked right into a trap. He had to make sure Noct got out alive, even if it cost him his own life to do it. He could tell Noctis was beginning to slow, the sun taking its toll on top of the continual magic use. He could recharge his magic with an elixir but that didn't help the need for blood.

He screamed, body convulsing, guns dropping as he collapsed. He tried to get a hand up, to pull the leads free but another set hit him and all he could do was lay in the sand, body flailing out of his control as the jolts of electricity surged through him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Shooters down!" Crowe called over their comms. "Still moving but they fried him good." She'd seen him get hit twice, no human was getting up after that without medical help or a lot of time and he had neither. So she was utterly shocked to see him push to his knees and begin shooting again. "We sure Sleepy's friend is human?"

"Supposed to be," Nyx answered. "Why?"

"He's up, on his knees, but still up."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis heard him scream and spun, eyes searching for him. Please…there! He saw Prompto drunkenly climb to his knees and begin shooting again, saw the broken lines coming from him and grimaced. Too much of that and it'd fry his core, could Prom survive that?

He barely dodged an attack and then froze, eyes wide. General Glauca…he couldn't beat him, even his Dad hadn't been able to. He could still remember seeing his Dad block him with his Armiger, hit him with spells, but still he had come, forcing them to run. He summoned a blade and warped towards Prompto, seeing MT's falling in the distance, saw the distinctive hooded black of the Glaive but not even they'd be able to beat the General, escape was the only option.

He stumbled the landing beside Prompto to end up with a gun in his face which was quickly re-aimed elsewhere. "We have to move! Glauca's here!" he yelled over the noise of the fight and Prompto blinked dazedly at him. He got an arm under him and hauled him to his feet. "Come on!" thankfully, Prompto moved with him, though his legs were unsteady.

"The Emperor commands your presence, Prince Noctis," the cold voice stated and Noct turned to find Glauca had caught up.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Nyx! It's Glauca! He's got them cut off!" she all but screamed, terrified. None of them were a match for that…thing.

"Keep them off me Pelna! Libs, move!" Nyx called over the comm.

"It's suicide," Pelna answered but he still moved to keep Nyx as clear as he could.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Now boys, you wouldn't be leaving would you?" a new voice asked and Noctis shifted to try and see them both.

He saw an oddly dressed man and something about him….he heard Prompto whimper, eyes locked on the man in fear. "Prom?"

"No…please no…." he whined in distress and Noctis saw the man smile.

"Well, well, aren't you a surprise. Whatever are you doing with stolen property little Prince?"

"Prompto isn't property."

"It even has a name, how quaint."

"Chancellor," Glauca spoke up.

The Chancellor of Niflheim was here? How? He glanced down at Prompto, summoning a hi-potion to break over his skin, glad he'd stocked up on ones safe for humans. He felt Prompto shift as the magic worked, taking his own weight fully.

"Yes, of course, we are pressed for time." The Chancellor nodded and then Prompto was pulled away from him, fighting wildly against the group of MT's. Prom was stronger than a human his size but he was outnumbered and MT's were even stronger and he was soon forced to his knees, unable to move.

"Noct go!" he screamed, staring at Glauca in horror and Noctis looked at him, blanching as he saw what he was holding. No…

He looked back at Prompto, he couldn't leave him. Prom shook his head, tears falling silently.

"Run…please…"

"I won't leave you!"

"How touching. The Prince and the MT. didn't you know, that thing is no more human than those you've been slaughtering for the last ten minutes. You can't bear to think of leaving it though, can you?"

"It doesn't matter what he is, I already knew. You can't make me doubt him."

"Him? It's nothing more than an imperial machine made to draw you in. I must admit it's done an excellent job," the Chancellor smirked and reached out to tug on Prompto's hair, pulling his head back.

"No, he ran away as a kid, he's free!" Noctis kept moving, not letting Glauca close with the collar in his hands, mind spinning as he tried to figure out how to save them both.

"Do you really believe that?"

Blue eyes met, Prompto's silently pleading with him to save himself. Yes, he believed Prompto was free, he wouldn't let them make him doubt his friend.

"How do you think we found you so quickly dear Noctis?"

No…no, he was lying. He saw Prompto shake his head weakly, as much as he could with the hand in his hair, his eyes wide. He knew Prompto, no matter what they'd done to him, he was human enough Noctis could influence him, they couldn't control Prompto. But…could they have tracked him if they picked up on his presence? Even if they had, that wasn't his fault. "Prompto would never betray me," he stated firmly and then he screamed as he felt the pinch of leads digging in, electricity surging through him.

"NOCT!"

They were on him in an instant, forcing him down, to drop his sword, holding him as his body jerked from the current. He could see Glauca approaching, collar open in his hands but he couldn't get his limbs to cooperate.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Glauca has a collar!" Crowe choked out. "Get there now!" she could see the blond trying to fight free but he was held down far too tightly.

"What are they saying?" Pelna asked, panting.

"Chancellor called the blond an MT, Sleepy said he knew, that the blonds free," Libertus breathed, the only one close enough to hear anything. "His trying to get free looks really genuine. Hurry up cause I can't take Glauca and there's no way to get Sleepy out without stopping him."

Crowe reached deep, for any spare scrap of magic, if she could hit the bastard with one spell, knock him back for even a second.

She heard Libertus cry out in pain, suddenly becoming visible not too far from the Prince but the he was having to fight as well. They weren't going to make it…

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Noct…" Prompto whispered, unable to look asway as Glauca closed in on the now restrained Prince, the collar in his hands gleaming evilly in the light. He could see the tremors in Noct's muscles from the jolt, the way he was struggling to get free. He heard the commotion nearby but whoever it was, they weren't going to make it in time. "NOCT!" he screamed, straining against those holding him.

Dark blue eyes locked onto him and he could see the terror in them, saw Noct's lips move and then the collar snapped around his throat.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

He heard Prompto scream for him and looked at him. He was terrified, he knew what was coming, but he was too weak to break free. "Love you all," he whispered; Ignis, Gladio…Prompto, Dad…. He stared into tear filled blue eyes, wanting them to be his last sight, not the enemies around him, he felt cold at his throat and then everything vanished.

_TBC…._


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_Things will be getting bad for Prompto and Noctis so be warned. non-con ahead_

**Chapter 9**

Gladio lunged as Ignis suddenly screamed, collapsing, barely catching him before his head could smash into the training mat.

"Get a medic!" Someone yelled as Gladio shifted to support his almost convulsing body.

Gladio watched him writhe, silver eyes staring sightlessly up at the ceiling and his heart sank. He just knew, whatever was happening to Iggy…was linked to Noct. He looked up as a hand gripped his shoulder, seeing Cor who had obviously run to them. He knelt down, helping block Ignis from view. "Sir?" he ran his fingers through Ignis' hair, hoping to let him know he was there for him.

"Ulric's team has eyes on the Prince and his companion," he murmured.

"Then why?" he winced as Ignis' head slammed hard into his leg.

"They're under attack, the Glaive are trying to reach them but they're badly outnumbered. They're also fighting in full sun and Noctis is apparently warping a lot," Cor explained even as his phone rang and a medical team appeared. They got Ignis secured to a stretcher and took him, Gladio at his side.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"NOCT!" he screamed, thrashing wildly, tears blurring his vision as he stared at the Prince, his Prince. He watched as everything that made him Noctis drained away, eyes going dull, blanks and his face going still, expressionless. "No….Noct please…" he choked out. He felt a harsh hand grip his hair, pulling his head back painfully, staring up at the Chancellor.

"Sorry 3234, but the Prince can't hear you. Don't worry, we're going to take you home now."

"My name is Prompto," he snarled, refusing to show fear and then there was a sharp pain in his neck, everything going fuzzy, slipping away.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"No," Crowe whispered, able to see as the collar locked around the Prince's throat, the MT's releasing him, no longer needed to hold him in place. He didn't move at all, remaining in place even as Shooter was screaming for him. "Sl…Sleepy's been collared," she forced the words out.

She hated being so helpless but there was nothing she could do. She watched the Chancellor wrench the blonds head back painfully, speaking to him, the boy…MT?...snarling something back and then she winced as a syringe was plunged into his throat, his body going limp fast.

"Shooter's out, sedated I think." I hope she thought to herself, if they were going to kill him they could just shoot him or cut his head off or something, why waste a drug? His limp form was lifted, carried towards one of the ships even as the Prince stood up, the Chancellor leading him to the same ship and the Prince went docilely along. As the ship took off she tracked its trajectory for as long as possible.

"They're gone, get out of there!"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Nyx heard Crowe as he slashed another MT apart, sending a blast of lightning into a tight grouping. He had to fight the urge to be sick as he heard Crowe's words. He kept fighting, collar or no, they couldn't let the Empire take him. Hearing Shooter was now out as well wasn't good, they could use him to watch their backs while pulling out.

He managed to clear the area around himself, looking towards where the Prince was, seeing him kneeling, unrestrained, then he saw Shooter, body limp as he was lifted, definitely unconscious. He swore viciously, drawing a blade back to warp as his gaze landed on Glauca, he just had to grab the Prince. But then the Chancellor was there, getting him up and walking to the waiting ship where Shooter had already been taken. He saw it take off as he was cut off by more MT's, even as the sound of new combatants reached him, voices coming in on the comms, help had arrived too late.

He heard Crowe telling them to get out and he hated it but he ordered everyone to withdraw, warping to Libertus' side, helping his friend to his feet and then Pelna was on his other side, the Glaive fighting through to them, guarding them as they withdrew, the MT's beginning to pull back as well. The whole time, he could feel Glauca watching them. Why didn't he wipe them out?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor hung up and moved quickly to his office, ensuring full security messages before accessing the video, forcing himself to watch what Altius had recorded, hearing her as she spoke over comms to her team. He was impressed when the blond, nicknamed by the team as Shooter, made it to his knees after two hits from the electrical leads MT's carried.

His blood ran cold as he heard Crowe's scream about a collar, saw as the picture zoomed in, saw the Prince trying to keep his distance from Glauca even as he looked over at where is new Retainer was being restrained but still struggling to get free. He wished it could pick up the audio from where the Prince and…yes, that was Chancellor Izunia, were speaking. Something about the boy maybe from the way Izunia had grabbed his hair, pulling his head back, threatening to kill him if Noctis didn't surrender? The blond thrashed wildly, mouth open, screaming? And then he saw it, the collar lock around his Prince's throat, Noctis going still. The camera was shaking some as the still fighting boy was sedated, he hoped that was all it was, before being carried to a ship, Noctis obediently following with the Chancellor.

Altius had tracked the ship for as long as she could, but it could have changed course later. They had no way of taking it down without risking the two boys on board. They had to get Noctis back, even in a collar, the Empire could not be allowed to keep him. Until then, the only chance was Shooter getting free and rescuing him, the odds of that were incredibly low though.

He closed the video down and leant back in his chair, feeling tears which he forced back. He had been so close to home… to be taken then. How was he meant to tell Regis is son was as good as dead, even as his body lived on? He had known Noctis all of the boy's life, had loved him as a nephew and now that boy was gone. Even if they could rescue him, would they leave him to live forever with no ability to think or feel, nothing more than a puppet? He knew what the Council would demand, for Regis to father a new heir and for Noctis' body to be killed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis forced himself to watch the video, despite Cor's silent pleading to not ask for it, to accept his report. He knew why but he had to, to see his sons last moments, to see him alive and fighting one last time. He fought the urge to be ill as he saw the collar lock around his throat, saw the blond boy screaming, thrashing madly to try to get to him. it was good to know, that in his last moments, Noctis had someone who cared for him there. It was obvious the blond had been used against him but he did not blame the boy. No human could fight against so many MT's, it was amazing enough he'd remained conscious and fighting when hit by two different electrical surges.

His son was dead….Aulea's child…his body may live on but their son was gone. In all of history, no collar had ever been successfully removed. They had no effect on humans but used on a vampire, werewolf, any being, they wiped their mind of all memory and personality, leaving an empty body that would follow any command given by those the collar was set to accept commands from.

Ignis was sedated in medical and they weren't sure how he would be when he woke, how his bond to Noctis would affect him. The blond had kept fighting after though, but he was only bound as a Retainer, through Noctis' magic. The bond between Noct and Ignis was different, he was a Retainer as well but his own nature had bonded them together as well.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Vague noises began reaching him first, slowly clearing up to voices, the sensation of cold metal came next, surrounding wrists and ankles…all over his back…a table? The voices cleared further and he could make out words…prep, sedation, scalpel, surgical… blue eyes snapped open as he struggled against the restraints, heart pounding.

"Ah, finally awake!" a cheerful voice greeted him and then the table he was strapped to moved, lifting to be almost vertical, letting him see a sterile room, people in white lab coats, the Chancellor, and….Noct. The Prince was naked except for some white material around his hips like a skirt or something, the Imperial emblem emblazoned in red on the cloth. He knelt beside the Chancellor, staring vacantly in Prompto's direction. The Chancellor followed his eyeline. "I thought having a friend present might comfort you," the man mocked, running his fingers through black hair but Noctis showed no awareness of his touch.

"Please," he whispered. He would suffer anything gladly if only there was some sign something of his friend, his Prince, his…lover, remained.

"I suppose it is a little disconcerting to see him so...empty," the Chancellor chuckled at his own joke and Prompto glared at him. He got a smirk in response and then the collar glowed red, Noctis' eyes echoing it. The blankness melted away from his face, adoration replacing it as the Chancellor tipped his head back with the hand in his hair. Noctis leant in and nuzzled at his leg, rubbing his face against his leg. His face may show emotion but his eyes…they were still flat and lifeless. "Isn't that much better?" The Chancellor asked him.

Prompto reached for the Armiger, trying to summon something, do something. He just wanted to wipe that smirk off his face but the magic did not answer.

"Don't worry 3234, you will be joining your siblings in service soon enough."

"Never," he denied.

"Thankfully, the core was inserted before you escaped, that cannot be successfully implanted so many years after manufacture. So long as that is present, the flesh remains accepting of further implantation. When it is done, you will serve willingly, you will be what you were created to be," he explained, caressing Noctis' hair, the Prince pressing eagerly into his touch, purring.

"I won't," he whispered, trying not to show how scared he was.

"I think it needs a demonstration pet, don't you?" he asked and Noctis obediently nodded. The door opened and Prompto felt sick as two people the same age as him walked in, dressed in lightweight shirts and pants….both wearing his face. They were paler than him, skin flawless other than the freckles, no personality. "Enjoy the show," the Chancellor bowed and left.

Prompto had no choice but to watch as the MT's stripped before pulling the fabric from Noct's body. No…not this. "Stop, leave him alone!" he snapped but they didn't respond as they bracketed Noctis between them, hands reaching out to touch and caress cool skin.

They…they were going to… he didn't feel the IV being inserted in his arm as tears streamed down his face. Noctis was seemingly eager, whining and whimpering, rubbing his body against them, and Prompto was glad he was unaware of what was happening, of what he was doing. Noctis wouldn't have to live with the horror of what was about to be done to him. He was pushed to his hands and knees, one kneeling in front of him and the other behind.

"Stop them, please!" he yelled but he heard the people laughing and realised they were egging the MT's on, offering suggestions.

All he could do was watch as Noctis took the clone into his mouth enthusiastically even as the one behind him thrust into him with no warning, giving his body no chance to adjust as he began moving. Noctis gave every appearance of loving what was happening to him, his own body hard as he moaned and sucked. He eagerly moved with the MT's, letting them use his body.

He sobbed, closing his eyes, unable to turn his head away, realising there was a band across his forehead to keep him still. He felt a sudden rush of cold in his arm and opened his eyes, seeing a man in a lab coat and then he blinked slowly.

"Chancellor wants it to see the whole show," a distant voice said.

He felt….fuzzy, disconnected…body going limp in the restraints. He tried to move and he couldn't, couldn't blink…a paralytic? He had no way to look away as the MT's used Noct's body and once they were done another and another. All he could do was mentally retreat, blanking out.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He stared at the paralysed MT, seeing the distant look in its eyes, knowing that given no ability to look away it had chosen to retreat from reality. He looked over at where Noctis was being used by a group of MT's, waving them off, the young vampire crawling obediently over to him.

Both would be given to Besithia for a time, the man was very excited with all the tests and samples he wanted to run. The MT would then be integrated with its 'siblings' and dear Noctis would be gifted to the Emperor. Besithia would be trying to figure out how it had managed to leave when it should have had no will to do so, even with the threat of decommissioning before it. The scientist also wanted to see what could be learned from the Prince, the first Royal ever captured. It would be interesting to see what he could learn.

It had been Somnus' line that had birthed the first vampires, Ardyn hadn't been so blessed. His dear baby brother had been so shocked the first time the hunger had struck him and he had ended up biting Gilgamesh. It would have been better if he had been one, vampires could not be infected by the Scourge, the only species he knew of for whom that was true. How different would his path have been then?

He absently petted back hair, Noctis pressing into his touch. Despite appearances, he did not hate his many, many times great nephew. It was not the boys fault that Ardyn had become what he did after all, but he was in his way and so had needed to be dealt with. He had seen Noctis' magic as a child, had ensured the assassination attempt then and while it had failed it had crippled his magic somewhat. He tried not to be unfailing cruel, he would have killed the boy rather than condemn him to the fate he had been dealt, his mind destroyed and body no more than a puppet for any who could control his collar. The show for the MT had been necessary and not his idea, rape had never been something he enjoyed though he understood its usefulness. The Emperor though wanted him to demoralise Lucis, to prove he could take what he wished and Glauca was his man through and through.

The MT feared him and he was honestly surprised it remembered him from so long ago. Perhaps…they were not quite what Besithia claimed they were before the alterations were completed? Were they truly human children? If that was so…yes, even he could feel a little guilt for what was done to them if that were true. He had never targeted children, even when out of his mind and driven by the Scourge. He forced his mind to the present and nodded at the surgeons to begin their work, watching as blue eyes slid closed as the sedative was given, at least the boy or whatever he was, would not feel it.

He turned and left the room, leaving Noctis behind, not wishing to observe the surgery. It would be better once they returned to Niflheim. It had been decided to begin the conversion immediately, to ensure the MT's compliance, rather than risk an escape in transit. Fort Vaullerey was too close to Lestallum for his liking. The Empire may occupy most of Lucis and the hunters would offer no assistance in freeing them, but if the Glaive learnt of their presence they would come…if Glauca could not divert them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis nodded as Cor admitted the four Glaive, seeing one of them on crutches. The woman…Altius was still shocky looking and he could tell some of that was magic overuse but she'd been the one to see everything as she recorded it. "Be seated," he told them due to their condition, though Ulric and… Khara didn't look much better. "I've seen the video," he told them, seeing Altius flinch and Ulric grimace. "What isn't in it? Cor tells me you could not reach Drautos and called him instead of following the normal chain of command?"

Ulric nodded and leant forward slightly, explaining what had happened and the feeling they'd been set up. He didn't want to even consider it but…he glanced at Clarus who nodded gravelly, it would be investigated and he prayed Ulric was wrong.

"Were any of you close enough to hear anything that was said?" he asked and this time Ostium shifted uncomfortable.

"I did your Majesty. It was rather confusing but Chancellor Izunia seemed to be under the impression that Shooter is an MT. The Prince…said he knew, that he couldn't be made to doubt it…him," Ostium shrugged. "The Prince called him Prompto. Said he ran away as a kid? Refused to believe the boy would betray him. That was when they piled on him, obviously the talking was to distract him. MT or human, the kid went utterly mad trying to get loose, to get to the Prince, he just kept screaming for him until they injected him with something that put him out."

An MT? he glanced at Cor and Clarus, seeing their concern. Had Noctis really been travelling with an Imperial machine but…he had added this Prompto to the Armiger, if he was a machine, not loyal to Noctis, then the Oath should not have worked, no matter what variation had been used. Could a machine even be added to the magic? "Speak of this to no one," he ordered and they nodded.

"Your Majesty? I volunteer for whatever rescue force is sent," Ulric offered and the others followed his lead, making Regis smile slightly. He knew there were issues with some of the Glaive but these four were not among them.

"Thank you, go rest now." He watched them leave, slumping back.

"Would the Oath take for a machine?" Clarus asked.

"It could have been psychological games and nothing more. You saw the footage; he looks like a younger Besithia. He could be a relative, bastard child, any number of possibilities. Telling Noct he had trusted an MT could have been to induce doubt and distract him, which worked," Cor pointed out.

Clarus brought it up and slowed it as the blond said something. "He's telling Noctis to run, to save himself. Ostium was right, his fear and anger appear genuine."

"We send rescue for both, we can sort out if he is or isn't later," Regis decided. His son believed in the other boy, for that he would give him a chance.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Gla…dio?"

He sat up and looked towards the bed to see glassy green eyes blinking at him. He took Ignis' hand in his, running his other hand through lank hair. "Welcome back," he whispered.

"Hap'd?"

"Don't worry about it, just rest," he soothed, let him recover before telling him Noct was gone. He leant in and kissed him softly. "Sleep Iggy, we'll talk in the morning," he promised, watching his eyes close.

_TBC…_


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 10**

He hurt….he felt sick…he didn't get sick…move, get up…he tried and felt something cold, holding him down. What had happened? He….he had…Noct! His eyes snapped open as memories returned in a rush. No…please let it be a nightmare. He blinked, focusing and bit back a sob as he found himself staring into empty blue eyes. He took a shaky breath and broke eye contact, seeing the peaceful expression on Noctis' face, at least that was better than what he remembered seeing before, and the wrapping was back in place so people couldn't stare. "No…ct…" his voice was raspy, throat sore.

"The unit's operational," a voice called from somewhere behind him and then there was a man standing in front of him, dressed in surgical gear.

A light was shone in his eyes and he groaned, trying to flinch away but his head was still immobilised. "No…." he struggled weakly against the restraints.

"Remain still," the man snapped at him.

"Why they didn't authorise termination and dissection to find where it went so wrong, I don't know," another voice spoke up.

"It would be more useful, then again it seems to have been a one off fault in production," the one in front of him answered the other. He then focused on Prompto. "You understand me?" he demanded and Prompto licked dry lips.

"Yes," he answered because he remembered what scientists did if he didn't answer.

"Good, cognitive function appears intact. Any sharp pain?"

"No…what'd you do to me?" he asked and then gasped at a jolt of pain.

"How long until we can install the command unit?" the man asked and Prompto panted, trying to ignore the pain like he had as a kid but he hadn't had to do it in so long…

"I want to wait and make sure there are no system failures first, we're only at forty percent conversion. Why?"

"I don't like the way it looks at me."

That got a laugh from the one he couldn't see. "Well they want the unit in functioning condition so we won't rush for your comfort."

Forty percent conversion….no…no…he wrenched against the metal restraints but there was no give.

"I think it understood you," the man said, holding up a box and hitting a switch and Prompto clenched his teeth to keep from screaming. "This is connected to the new hardware, be good and it won't hurt."

Prompto slumped, gasping for air, feeling tears of pain trailing down his cheeks. Okay…that was not good. He'd have to grab that first to keep them knocking him out with pain…if it was the only one. He found his gaze shifting back to Noctis, searching for any sort of reaction but there was nothing. It was Noct's body but there was nothing left of the vampire he had come to care deeply for, he knew Noctis would be fighting to free him if he had any awareness.

"Do you like seeing the so-called Prince like this?" the scientist asked, burying his fingers in black hair, pulling Noctis' head back and Noctis whined, the peace beginning to fade from his face in reaction to what was happening.

"Don't you touch him!" He snarled and then screamed in agony.

"Hey! We need it functioning for the parts to finish synchronising properly. Come on, I've got the alerts set, lets grab some food before the next surgery."

He blearily watched them leave, hearing the door lock behind them. "Noct? Come on, please. You have to fight it. You're still in there, you have to be," he pleaded softly, searching for any sign his Prince could hear him but there was nothing. He began working in trying to at least loosen the restraints or something. He didn't want to know what the forty percent meant for him, or what the next 'surgery' would entail…it sounded like they wouldn't be taking control of him until the end, did that mean he had time? No, he couldn't rely on what they said, scientists lied all the time if they knew their subject could understand.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio carried Ignis to the chair, gently setting him down, tucking a blanket around him for warmth and Ignis managed a tired smile, taking his hand and Gladio knelt in front of him. he reached up to gently stroke a too cool cheek and Ignis pressed into the touch. "You're going to be fine," he promised, he refused to believe anything else. They had lost Noctis, he could not loose Ignis too.

"I can feel him…Prompto," he whispered, it was good finally having a name for the other Retainer. "He's in pain, so much pain."

"Physical?" Gladio winced, he could imagine a million things the Empire could be doing to him. He had also read Libertus' report on everything he'd heard. The idea that Noct had been travelling with a MT, had given one access to his magic…but their experts were positive that couldn't happen. It was why they figured the Chancellor had just been trying to make Noctis doubt the boy. Everyone who had seen the images agreed the kid was a Niff so it was a useful ploy.

"Physical and…emotional. I…I don't know how long he can…hold on."

"But you can feel him which means they have to still be in Lucis, that's good. It means we have a chance of saving them," Gladio assured him and Ignis hummed, eyes fluttering. He'd never seen Ignis so fragile before and he knew he should be in the medical wing but as Ignis had pointed out, there was nothing they could do for him. He had wanted to come home and no one could deny him that comfort. Gladio had tried to feed him and while it had helped a little, it hadn't lasted long. He got up and opened the automatic blinds, Ignis sighing as the sun hit his chair, soaking up the warmth. Gladio sat down in the other chair, taking his hand and ignoring the slight sting from the sunlight even as Ignis dozed off.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Look at these readings!"

"Wonder what's causing that, have you ever seen a reaction like it?"

"Never, make sure we record it all…"

The voices kept him from fully passing out and he clung fiercely to consciousness. He didn't care what they were saying. Noct…he had to save Noct…

They were so involved in their discussion that they didn't hear the grinding screech of metal giving way.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ardyn stopped and then stepped back to look down the other corridor, spotting the blood trail. Curious, he walked towards it, eyes widening slightly as he realised which room it had come from. The door opened and he saw two dead bodies on the ground and nothing else. Well…that was unexpected. He followed the trail and soon caught up, just watching for a few seconds. The MT was bleeding, limbs trembling, and yet it kept moving, pulling Noctis along, the vampire limp, legs dragging, neither helping nor fighting. He walked towards them and then he heard the soft words coming from the MT.

"Save….Noct….save….Noct…"

He could never have imagined what he was seeing. He should return the MT to a cell or lab but…the Emperor would not be pleased to lose his prize but what did he care? The boy was neutralised and not a threat, allowing his return to the King may actually cause more demoralisation than keeping him. At least his body would not be further violated. And the more he saw of this MT the more he wondered just what Besithia had kept from them all. He had shown the man how to truly use Magitek and daemons to get the military versions of them but had little input in the infiltration models.

One plodding step after another, the MT struggled on and Ardyn pulled out the control unit for the Prince's collar before pressing it into one bloody hand, curling fingers around it. he then wrapped them in magic, reappearing in the hanger and smirking when he saw what he was looking for, a rather impressive red ship. He did so like the colour red.

"Oh Commodore!"

He didn't care at all if anyone realised what he had done, the Emperor needed a reminder that he was no man's servant. Perhaps…he did not hate Somnus' line as much as he believed he did.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aranea stared at the two figures strapped into seats near the loading doors. It was…creepy, to see such empty eyes staring at nothing. She looked at the MT beside it, at least it was inactive for the moment, head slumped forward, bandages wrapped around its wounds. She didn't know what the Chancellor was playing at but she'd do as he asked because it was the right thing to do, she hoped.

The idea of leaving the Prince to be used and abused until his body gave out didn't sit well and she was glad she hadn't been with the retrieval team. Than an MT had apparently been with him and then had broken him out despite being damaged…perhaps it was time they went independent again. At least the MT was beginning to repair, they had bandaged it sloppily to make it seem like the unit had done so itself. No one was to know they had helped the two. They were going to take them closer to Insomnia and find some Lucian soldiers, then drop them off out of sight, making sure they had a straight line to the soldiers. They were then meant to leave but she'd hang around in case they missed them. No point leaving them to die in the wilderness.

Despite being inactive, its hand was wrapped tight around something but the she didn't pry. Whatever it was, it was obviously important. After a while she got a cup and made a small slice in her arm, letting blood drip into it before covering the wound. She tipped the Prince's head back and dripped the blood in slowly, massaging his throat to make him swallow. MT's could eat, but in this one's condition it was probably safer not to try.

Would the Lucians destroy it? Or would they accept it had saved the Prince and spare its existence. She could keep it, except then there would be questions about how the collared Prince ended up wandering around Leide. No, it had to go with the Prince.

"Wish I could do something," she muttered before heading up to see how the search was going.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"There!" Biggs called and Aranea checked the scanners.

"Visual confirmation?" she asked.

"On it Lady A…" a few seconds passed. "Confirmed, Kingsglaive."

"Bring us in downwind and out of sight," she ordered before heading back to where their passengers sat waiting. As soon as the ship settled she released the restraints and lowered the ramp. She heaved the MT to its feet, pinching its arm to try and get it to react. "Come on blondie, time to wake up," she called as if it was human. "This won't work if you don't activate." Pity the Chancellor had neglected to tell them how to do that. After a few minutes, hazy blue eyes flickered open, the MT taking most of its own weight but it was obviously very out of it.

"Sa…ve…Noct…" it mumbled.

"Yeah, that's what we're doing." She got the Prince up and slung his arms over the MT's shoulders, tugging them along and down the ramp. Surprisingly, it didn't take much to get them moving in a slow shuffle towards where the Glaive were and she shadowed them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor glanced at Ulric and his team as they began setting up camp, wishing they could keep going but the sun was setting and daemons would be an issue. Plus two of the four were fully human and therefore lacked night vision. He went back to scanning the horizon and frowned as he made something out in the fading light. "Ulric with me," he ordered and the Glaive looked up, seeing what he had. The man may only be half vampire but he was the best fighter out of the four.

They took off at speed across the uneven ground, it was definitely people approaching and they couldn't just leave anyone to the mercy of the night. Then the wind shifted, bringing the scent of blood, antiseptic, chemicals…vampire! Cor almost tripped as he recognised the scent, putting on more speed, Ulric now struggling to keep up. He had his sword in hand, searching for any sign of others but he could only detect the two figures before him, now able to see lank blond hair, Prompto?

He stopped and watched them stagger along, Noctis limp and the blond obviously wounded. He hesitated but then released his sword, keeping his hands out, he'd seen the footage of the kid shooting. "Prompto?" He waited and then he realised he could hear soft, mumbled words, straining his ears.

"Sa…ve…Noc…t…Save….Noc….sa…"

He took the risk of moving closer, knowing Ulric had his back, catching the blond by the arm as he kept walking. "Can you hear me?" he asked, reaching out with his other hand to gently life the blonds head, swearing when he saw the glassiness of his eyes, the blood covering make shift bandages, felt the coolness of his skin. He was in a very bad way.

He then looked at his Prince and wished he hadn't as he saw the band of metal around his throat, empty blue eyes staring into the distance. "Ulric take Shooter, I've got Sleepy. We need to get them to camp now," he ordered and they were soon running back.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Aranea relaxed as she recognised one of the men, the Marshal would get them back to Insomnia. Her job was done. "Good luck," she whispered before vanishing into the gathering darkness.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Crowe leapt to her feet as Nyx and the Marshal appeared, each with an unmoving body in their arms. She heard Libs swear and then he and Pelna were digging out their medical supplies. She'd been impressed by Shooter during the fight…but to escape imperial custody with the Prince in tow? What was he the Immortal version two?

They got the two lying out on sleeping bags and began checking them over, the Prince appeared unharmed thankfully…even if his manner of dress made them all feel sick. Clothing was quickly donated to cover him. The blond though…

"How did he manage to walk and drag Sleepy around?" Libertus asked in horror as the blood soaked bandages came off, revealing a ripped medical gown. What had they been doing to him?

Pelna did throw up when they got a look.

"He…he really is an MT?" She couldn't believe it; he'd seemed so real. The Marshal didn't answer, calling a human safe elixir and then breaking it over the surgically mutilated body. They could all see the signs of where accelerated tissue regeneration had kicked in but the curative shocked them by working, wounds healing and smoothing out until the skin was mostly unmarked, leaving only a scattering of scars, either too old for it to fix, or too bad for a total healing. "Curatives don't work on them."

"We need to get them to the Citadel, see what the professionals say," the Marshal answered.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor didn't know what to think…but the elixir had worked. Pity Drau…Glauca had died rather than be captured, he may have had the needed answers. "Sleepy needs blood, see if you can get him to swallow, I need to call the King."

Altius nodded and went to grab a bag.

Cor moved away a bit and pulled out his phone, dialling Regis' number. "We've got Sleepy and Shooter," he said as soon as he picked up.

"_How?" _ Regis sounded shocked.

"Found them in Leide. Shooter was half dead and still managing to drag Sleepy with him. An elixir took care of most of it, he has some scars though."

"_And N...Sleepy?"_ Regis almost said his sons name over the line. While it was meant to be secure, Glauca's presence had proven that the Empire had spies even in the Citadel.

"Collared and unresponsive, though…" he glanced back. "We're getting some blood into him."

"_I see…"_ he could hear the grief in his King and friends voice and wished he could have had better news. _"Send your coordinates and you'll be picked up."_

"Understood. We'll need security and a medical team for Shooter, we have confirmation on what Ostium overheard."

"_Then how?"_

"Don't know, to all appearances he's truly unconscious. Even machines have limits."

"_Of course, I'll see you soon."_ With that Regis hung up and Cor went back to the others.

He knelt down, studying the blond, and then realised he was holding something in one bloody hand. He lifted the limb and carefully forced his fingers to release whatever it was, eyes widening in shock. He had never seen one in person but he knew what it was.

"Cor?" Ulric called and he started slightly.

He should stop calling him Ulric all the time since the poor man had been promoted in the wake of the mess Glauca had left. He'd given the new Captain permission to use his name after all. "It's the collar control unit."

_TBC…_


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 11**

Regis struggled not to pace, knuckles white from the grip he had on his walking stick. A vampire with a walking stick, it sounded ridiculous, but even they could be permanently damaged if wounded badly enough, a human would have died or if they survived have lost the leg. He still had his leg and once healed it hadn't bothered him at all, but the older he got the more the old wound troubled him. It was why he hadn't insisted on going out with the team to collect them. His presence would only hinder, not help.

He had wanted to meet them when they arrived at the Citadel but Clarus had flat out told him no. He'd never come so close to attacking his oldest friend and that had made him realise his Shield was right. So instead he was waiting in the observation room set between two different isolation rooms, giving him a view into both.

Clarus waited with him, just as worried, Cor hadn't given much detail over the phone after all. Not that they could blame him after discovering Drautos' treachery. They were having to re-check every Glaive because of that and had found two more definite traitors while a handful of others had been wavering in their loyalty…until they found out about Noctis' fate, that had shocked them out of any thought of siding with the Empire. It was one thing to kill an enemy in battle but to use a collar, and on someone who had never actually fought in the war? Ulric's team was one of the few that hadn't even wavered and that was why they'd been deployed with Cor, despite Ulric's promotion to acting Captain.

They both turned as the door opened, Gladio walking in with Ignis wrapped in a blanket, resting in his arms.

"Gladio…"

"If it's not safe then you'd never allow the King in here, Dad," they younger Shield pointed out and Regis stifled a smile.

"He has a point," he told Clarus, grabbing a chair and settling it with a view of both rooms. "How do you feel Ignis?" he asked as the young Incubus was placed on the chair. He looked terrible, skin grey, eyes bruised and sunken. Regis gently touched his forehead and he was icy to the touch when normally he wasn't much cooler than a human.

"I am alright Majesty," he whispered tiredly. "It is better…Prompto's pain is much reduced."

"You can feel his pain?" Clarus asked in alarm and Ignis nodded.

"Like…Noctis is a buffer between…us. Without that…he was in so much…pain," Ignis answered, Gladio standing behind him, hands caressing his face and neck and they ignored the actions, knowing Gladio was giving him the only amount of feeding possible in public.

The doors in both isolation rooms suddenly slammed open, a gurney being rolled into each, staff bustling around. They watched silently as the two boys were moved onto the beds, both bodies limp. Regis pressed a hand to the glass, staring at his son as they stripped off badly fitting clothes, was that Cor's shirt? The team must have dressed him in a mix of their own things so what had he been wearing before? He studied what he could see of his son as they moved around, hooking him up to various monitors, much like when he was eight.

From what he could see, he didn't appear injured – a small relief. He made no sound as he was gently moved about, no reaction at all. As Noctis' head was lifted he found himself staring into dark blue eyes, he'd inherited Aulea's eye colour, and they always showed everything Noct was thinking….now there was nothing, no awareness, no emotion, nothing. He was like a living doll as the medical staff began running tests. He found his gaze drawn to the collar around Noctis' neck, how could something so insidious look so benign?

Unable to keep watching he turned to the other isolation room, seeing the bloodied surgical gown being handed off to one of the Guard who bagged it for evidence. The boy was quickly restrained to the bed for everyone's safety due to Cor's report. Blood stained bandages were removed fully as well as scanning equipment was moved into place. His orders were cleared, he was to be treated humanely, his injuries treated. Noctis had been so sure this Prompto was on his side, even the Glaive agreed everything in his behaviour had seemed real, so until they could work things out he would be treated as an ally. Soon the boards lit up, showing the scan results of his body, definite proof that he was an MT but…there was far more organic matter than normal. He was no doctor but….that was a human brain, wasn't it?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis tried to push himself up to his feet and then Gladio was gently holding him, carrying him closer to the glass. He stared at Noctis, reaching for him through their bonds. He was so close and yet Ignis could feel nothing from him, just the sense that he was alive. He pointed and Gladio shifted so that he could see Prompto, not looking at the scans but at the unconscious boy on the bed as the blood and grime was cleaned from his naked body. He could feel him, though muted, terror, pain, protectiveness…love.

"Iggy?" Gladio asked as Ignis rubbed his chest.

"I…I can't feel Noct, just the sense that he's alive, nothing else. Prompto…he's terrified and in pain," he whispered.

"He's still in pain?" Clarus asked and he nodded, leaning back in Gladio's arms.

"Is it physical or emotional?" The King asked for clarification.

"It's too muddled up with everything to tell," he admitted and the King nodded, activating the microphone into Prompto's room.

"Give him pain relief," King Regis ordered.

"_Majesty?"_

"He's feeling pain," was the answer and the medics stared with wide eyes before inserting an IV and Ignis could see it was of fluids and then they added pain medication to the mix. "Ignis?" he asked after a few minutes.

"It's less," he was relieved to be able to report.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio was relieved that Iggy was appearing a bit more alert, proximity to Noctis? Or the blond? He wasn't bonded to the boy, but they were both bound to Noctis could that be linking them together?

Staring at the scans of the blonds body, even after hearing Libertus' report, was a shock. He could make out a Magitek core, but that was the extent of his knowledge, he knew how to take MT's apart, not fix them. But…he was sure they were 99% mechanical, just covered in skin and hair to blend in. "Is he an MT or not? That's a core but that's a human heart. Dad?"

"I've never seen anything like it," his Dad admitted in concern.

The speaker came on with a crackle. _"Your Majesty?"_

"Yes?" The King responded.

"_We've finished the preliminary exam. As you can see it has a hybrid system of Magitek and organic. The Magitek core and one of the arm implants appears older than the rest, best guess would say they were placed ten or so years ago. The rest is recent, I'd say within the last few weeks. According to the Marshal, a hi-potion was administered last night, and the organic matter shows signs of healing from one."_

Ignis gagged and Gladio shifted his grip, glancing around and then his Dad was shoving a bin under his head as he threw up. "IT's okay, I've got you," Gladio whispered, stroking his hair back.

"Do we need a medic?" The King asked, turning to look at them.

Ignis took deep breaths, pushing the bin away, wiping his mouth. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Iggy?"

"Recent additions…the agony I felt…they….they operated while he was awake. They cut him open and…"

"Shh," Gladio tucked shifted his grip, cradling him close, kissing his forehead. "Don't think about it. No one else is going to do that to him." He knew the King would never allow someone capable of feeling pain to be awake for something like that. He glanced up at his Dad and King, seeing the horror in their eyes.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis didn't blame Ignis for being sick, he felt rather ill himself. The idea of cutting someone open and removing their organs before replacing them with mechanical equipment was bad enough…but doing so while the subject was conscious? How could anyone authorise such a thing? "Can you bring him around without harming him?" he asked and the staff checked a few things before agreeing.

"Regis?" Clarus demanded warily, eyeing him.

"I want to speak with him," he turned to leave the observation room.

"From here," Clarus stated and he shook his head, slipping past him and into the hall. The two Guards on the door hesitated but then opened the door to the isolation room.

"Your Majesty!" the head doctors eyes were wide with shock.

"Undo the restraints and wake him," he commanded.

"Sire?"

"If you had just undergone such a surgery, while conscious, how would you react to waking restrained to a bed in what is obviously a medical room?" He asked, one eyebrow raised and they hesitated but obeyed. "The dampeners are active?"

"Yes Sire, they won't stop the effect entirely though."

"I will keep my distance," he promised, able to feel Clarus' eyes burning into him from the observation room.

They moved around, undoing the restraints, covering the boy with a blanket, before injecting a drug that should help wake him. It took a minute or two but he began to shift restlessly.

"Clear the room," he ordered.

"_Regis,"_ Clarus called over the intercom.

"I will be careful old friend," he promised and the room cleared until it was him and the slowly waking boy. He watched as his eyes fluttered, head shifting. "It's alright, you're safe," he called softly. "You're in the Citadel of Insomnia."

Blue eyes slowly opened, blinking dazedly, before the boy was scrambling back, falling off the bed, tearing the IV from his arm as he did. He pressed back into the corner, obviously terrified and Regis winced, so much for not scaring him. The boy looked around wildly, chest heaving form exertion.

"Prompto," Regis called softly and blue eyes snapped to him.

"Noct…" he whimpered.

"Noctis is in the next room, being seen by his physician. Do you know who I am?" he asked and the boy licked his lips, eyes darting around, for a weapon? "Prompto, I am not going to hurt you," he swore.

"King…King Regis?" blue eyes really focused on him, looking uncertain and confused and Regis smiled at him.

"Very good. You are safely in the Citadel, you escaped with Noctis and were found by one of our rescue teams in Leide."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto pressed against the wall, staring at the King…Noct's Dad…the vampire King… how had they gotten out? What had happened? He remembered seeing Noctis, eyes empty as…he swallowed, fighting the urge to be sick as he remembered the MT's with his face using his Prince.

"Are you alright?" the King's voice snapped him out of the memory. "Do you need something to be ill in?"

He shook his head, feeling tears well in his eyes. "Sorry…sorry," he gasped and the vampire frowned.

"For what?"

"Co….couldn't stop them," he admitted, looking away….and then he gasped as he stared at the lit up screen with scans….no…no… "No…no….no….." he shook his head, screaming in denial.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis swore when he realised the doctor had left the scans up, moving to flick the monitor off as the boy screamed. The Guards entered, weapons drawn and he waved them back. He wanted to go to him but it was dangerous, even with the dampeners. The door opened again and Gladio carried Ignis in, the Incubus reaching for Prompto, practically throwing himself from Gladio's arms, staggering to the other blond, wrapping his arms around the screaming boy, taking them both to the ground.

"Shh, it's okay, you'll be okay," he whispered, rocking Prompto, running his finger through lank hair.

Slowly, Prompto fell silent, shaking in Ignis' arms but then slowly he turned into the hold, hiding his face against his shoulder, a hand slowly coming up to hold onto his shirt.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"That's it, you're safe," Ignis murmured, able to feel him calming. He kissed his temple tenderly, he didn't care what Prompto was, he was one of Noctis' Retainers and that made him one of them, part of them. He could feel the boy shaking still but he didn't blame him. his memories of what he had gone through were likely jumbled and scattered so to see the scans…

Ever so gently he nudged Prompto's head up, meeting blue eyes, seeing the fear in them. "Hello," he greeted softly and Prompto blinked. "My name is Ignis, do you know who I am?"

Prompto nodded slowly. "Adviser," he whispered and Ignis smiled at him. "Re…retainer, linked to Noct…like me."

"Yes, like you. I can feel you; can you feel me?" he asked, just sitting with Prompto…he felt stronger than he had since Noctis had been… he reached out to Prompto, nudging him and blue eyes went wide.

"Not a vampire…not human?" Prompto was relaxing more and that was a relief, he ignored the Guards near the door, even Gladio and the King, focusing only on Prompto.

"No, I'm…" he glanced up and saw the King dismissing the Guards, cutting the audio as well. "I'm an Incubus," he admitted, it wasn't like he would be able to keep it secret from Prompto. Blue eyes widened in shock and he waited for the younger males response, how much did the Empire know of his kind?

Prompto's cheeks went slightly pink. "Could you…feel…um…"

"Very vaguely," he admitted softly. "More so once you took the Oath," he gently brushed hair back from Prompto's face. He knew what the core could do, even passed the dampeners, but even then, he could feel Prompto's emotions, knew they were honest. He could feel Prompto relaxing in his arms, the fear beginning to fade. "I could feel your pain," he murmured, rubbing his back.

"I…I couldn't stop them, I tried! I did, I promise," he pleaded.

"Stop what? The collar? The Glaive saw, their mage recorded the fight while tossing spells. We've seen how hard you fought to get to Noctis. No one doubts you did your best," he assured him but Prompto shook his head.

"At…the place they took us…he…they…" he was shaking hard again and Ignis could feel tears soaking into his shirt.

Ignis glanced up, seeing the concern on the King's face at his stuttered words. He hated asking but they needed to know anything that had been done to either of them. "Take your time," he whispered.

"The Chancellor…he made them…made Noct…" he shuddered. "Used him."

Ignis froze, praying he was misunderstanding what Prompto meant even as the King went white, Clarus steadying him, Gladio's hands balling into fists. "Prompto…do you mean they…they raped him?" he could barely force the question out but then Prompto nodded.

"Couldn't stop them, made me watch. They all….they all had….my face…" he sobbed and Ignis tightened his hold, rocking him again, mind reeling with horror.

He felt sick again but there was nothing left in his stomach. His face…so they hadn't just decided to do that to the boy, he'd been born into the program? Then how had he been in Lucis? He thought over what he'd seen of the scans, his digestive tract was still intact so he would need to eat. "Come on, let's get you back on the bed, you'll be more comfortable," he looked up at Gladio who moved closer. "This is Gladio, Noctis' Shield."

Prompto looked up at him and Gladio managed a shaky smile. "Hi blondie, I'm going to carry you to the bed, okay?" he held his arms out and Prompto looked back to Ignis who nodded so Prompto let Gladio lift him, carrying him back to the bed, gently settling him down and covering him with the sheet, ruffling his hair, making Prompto stare with wide eyes. "There you go, much better than the floor or Iggy's bony lap."

"Hey!" Ignis carefully pushed up to his feet, only to have the King move in and steady him. "Perhaps we could get some food, Sire? Something easy on the stomach," he indicated Prompto and the King nodded, sending one of the guard. Ignis was soon settled in a chair beside the bed and he reached out to take Prompto's hand.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He felt so confused, it was nothing like he'd imagined. He'd expected interrogators and scientists not the King himself and then Noct's Retinue and…he was pretty sure that was the King's Shield, which made sense. It was a medical room but the bed was nothing like the metal slabs in the Empires labs, it was soft and warm and he got a sheet! He felt Ignis take his hand and he clung to him.

He was shocked when a Guard approached with a tray and Gladio helped him sit up, fixing the bed so he could lean back and the tray was settled in his lap. There was a bowl of steaming soup and what looked like fresh bread and…real butter? He glanced up, unsure, and Ignis smiled.

"It's all for you, eat as much as you're comfortable with. Just take it slow, do you know when you last ate?"

"Before," Prompto answered softly, carefully picking up the spoon. He knew better than to eat fast after not having food for a while. "How…how long were we…."

"It's been two weeks since the battle," the King answered and Prompto swallowed, that long?

He ate as much as he could, ignoring them as they spoke quietly amongst themselves. Eventually he had to stop, he was so tired. Gladio took the tray away and Ignis took his hand again. He could feel him, gentle waves of comfort coming from him and it was so nice. He wondered, was it like what being around MT's felt to others?

"Prompto," the King called his name and he looked up at him. It was nice, having people use his name again, not his number. "I know you must be feeling very overwhelmed but, could you tell us how you met Noctis?"

That was nice, staring with easier things but he knew they'd get to what happened at the base soon enough. He took a deep breath and began explaining about the hunt and how he had found Noct.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The boy was not just an MT but a hunter? If that got out… it was a good thing the isolation rooms were totally cut off other than the intercom which he had disabled. He'd also sent the Guards out. Finding out a pack of wolves had been mauling his son, that they'd had a collar too… he owed Prompto a lot for everything he'd done for Noctis. Prompto had risked his future in helping Noctis and bringing him towards the city.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis entered his sons room, Prompto had fallen asleep and they had decided to let him rest.

"Your Majesty," Doctor Leander bowed, the vampire had been treating Noctis since he was born, and the grief in his expression was obvious.

"How is he?"

"Physically he is in good health. Though…Sire, we found evidence of…it appears he was recently…."

"Raped," Regis murmured. "I know. We've been speaking with Prompto, he witnessed the act….acts," he admitted.

"His body has healed if any damage was done. He was a little low on blood but we've gotten him hooked up to an IV and he drank some when offered. We're still running tests but so far…there is no evidence that he is aware of anything. His eyes are open but he seems to see nothing. Also, we've noticed that when we touch him he begins to react in a…" Leander looked away, taking a deep breath. "It seems they wanted him to appear a willing participant who was enjoying himself."

"It was done to torture the boy, Prompto," Regis told him quietly. "They used MT units who share his features," that admittance had the doctor swearing.

"Then it is good Noctis was unaware of it. Is it true…that he is an MT?"

"The process is incomplete, he has a core and several organs have been replaced, his skeleton reinforced, but his mind his purely human. They performed the procedures while he was conscious Doctor, Ignis could feel his agony all this time."

Leander grimaced in horror; his opinion quite obvious. "Is he sane?"

"We have spoken, he saw the scans and panicked but Ignis was able to calm him. He has eaten a small meal of soup and bread since he hasn't eaten since they were taken but he fell asleep while telling us of his journey with Noctis. I thought it best to start then and let him work his way up to speaking of their time in captivity."

"Good, he will likely need psychiatric help to deal with everything," he warned and Regis nodded, he had assumed as much, but who could they trust? He stepped aside and Regis approached the bed.

He looked down at his son, lying so still on the bed, the sheet pulled up to his waist, now dressed in a hospital gown. His hair was a little longer from his time travelling but he otherwise looked the same as ever. He reached out and gently took a limp hand in his, reaching for his son through magic, feeling the Ring on his finger heat up. Empty blue eyes stared up at the ceiling, the collar around his neck dull at the moment so no one was trying to control him. They had to know the boys had escaped, why not make Noctis kill or incapacitate Prompto and return? He ran his other hand through lank black hair and Noctis moved, pressing into his touch, face softening into pleasure and he pulled his hand back as if burnt. Yet…he had not reacted to the hand holding…he was using the hand with the Ring and when he glanced down he saw it was glowing, the glow spreading across Noctis' hand too.

"Noctis? It's Dad, can you hear me?" he murmured, squeezing his hand but there was no reaction. "It's alright, you're safe now, you made it home," he explained, just in case he could hear him. "Prompto is here too, I won't let anyone harm him. Ignis has already taken to him." He took a deep breath, fighting the urge to cry. "I love you Noctis. Please son, fight, come back to us." He leant over and kissed his forehead before letting go of his hand even as the door opened, looking over to see Cor, still dressed for the field.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

At a look from Cor, the staff left the room and he made sure they couldn't be heard. "Regis," he greeted tiredly and Regis nodded, looking back down at his son. "You need to see this," he told his King and oldest friend. He stepped up beside him, looking down at the young man, still a boy in many ways, on the bed. It hurt to see Noctis like that, how much more pain must it cause his King.

"See what?" Regis tore his eyes off the body on the bed to look at him and Cor held his hand out. "Is that…"

"It appears so. It was clutched in Prompto's very bloody hand. I'd say he took it off whoever had it, against their will." He looked down at the small electronic item in his hand. It was amazing that such a small thing could do so much. Regis held his hand out and Cor gave it to him. "We don't know how to use it, Shooter…Prompto, recognised the collar in the field, perhaps he'll know? I've had detailed scans taken of it for our people to begin trying to work it out."

"He's asleep now, worn out. He hadn't been given any food since the fight, though they likely had him on intravenous nutrients since he still looks relatively healthy," Regis told him.

"If he's asleep, then he woke?"

"They brought him around, it didn't go well. We got him calmed down and some food into him before he fell asleep. I asked him exactly how they met. Turns out that this wasn't he first attempt to get a collar on Noctis, he managed to stop the first and destroyed that collar. He's been living in Meldacio since he was twelve Cor, and yet he still went against everything most hunters believe to save my son."

"And the MT thing?"

"He's still partially human, including his brain. They….they used MT's that look like him to…to rape my son," Regis forced the words out and Cor hissed in rage beside him.

He had been a soldier since he was thirteen, he had seen and done many horrible things…but rape was not something he would allow to happen or ever participate it. To find out that Noctis… he took a calming breath. "If they look like him, then was he part of the program before?"

"We didn't push it."

Cor nodded, they would need to hear everything but if the boy was physically and emotionally fragile at the moment then they should give him time. It was doubtful he knew anything that could help Noctis unless he knew how to use the control unit. "I've sworn the Glaive to silence on everything and the general public believes Noctis is dead. Are you going to say anything?"

"No," Regis admitted sadly. "Not unless Noctis begins to recover. There is no point in raising hopes."

Cor nodded, it made sense. They also didn't want the Empire to know they had them both, just to be safe. "Did the doctor say anything about the collar?"

"They took scans," Regis answered. "Maybe with the controller they can find a way to remove it."

"Even if they can, there's no way to know…"

"I know; it may change nothing, it might wake him up, he could be back to normal or have no memories. Without any evidence of one being removed before there's no way to tell. But I have to believe there's hope Cor, I have to," he whispered and Cor nodded.

"I know."

_TBC…._


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 12**

After Ignis telling them all he felt better, stronger, just being close to Prompto, they had left him in the room. It helped too that he had managed to calm the boy when he panicked and the last thing anyone wanted was for him to hurt himself or others if he woke and thought he was back in Imperial custody. So Ignis sat on a chair beside the bed, holding a pale hand in his, the IV back in his other arm to help rehydrate him.

He wasn't sure how long he had sat there before Prompto began to stir so he gently squeezed the hand he was holding before gently stroking the skin on the back of it. "It's alright Prompto, you're safe," he murmured when Prompto whimpered. "You're in Insomnia, no one is going to hurt you." He would fight to protect the boy, not because he was being influence, but because Noctis loved him and he could feel that Prompto loved Noctis in return, even if the blond didn't recognise the emotion yet.

Blue eyes slowly opened, widening in fear and Ignis shifted to lean over so that Prompto could see him, smiling gently. "I…Ignis?" he whispered, sounding confused and he slowly lifted his other hand to gently brush blond hair away from Prompto's eyes, not at all hurt by the slight flinch. Considering what he'd been through, it was amazing he was letting him close at all.

"Yes, it's not a dream. You're safe now," he promised. "Would you like to sit up?" he asked and Prompto nodded hesitantly so he carefully raised the head of the bed, watching quietly as Prompto looked around warily, rubbing at his wrists.

"Noct?" he asked quietly.

"Is in the isolation room across from this one, with the King and his physician," he assured him but the boy still flinched. "Shh, nothing that happened to either of you is your fault," he promised.

"How do you know that?" he asked. He scratched at his wrist and Ignis saw the black lines there, reaching out to gently grasp it, feeling him stiffen. He stroked a thumb over the raised lines that marked all MT's, like something to be bought at a store. He felt Prompto shiver but kept up the gentle touch, happy when he slowly relaxed. "You think they caught you because of this?" he asked and Prompto nodded, looking away.

"There's…there's scanners everywhere in Niflheim, that's...it's why I had to run…to come to Lucis. They would've found me fast. I…kept it covered and…I added more layers over it when we left the hills but the ship scanners are really strong…"

"And Leide is very large," Ignis butted in. "Did you detect any ships overhead at any point?" he asked and Prompto considered before shaking his head. "I very much doubt the scanners are so powerful as to be able to pick you out when they aren't in visual range. I've seen the reports and footage, they set a trap Prompto. They made sure the Glaive would need to go big to take out a group, knew it would draw Noctis' attention. Three fights like the one you were in happened at almost exactly the same time. You just got caught in the one where Glauca and the Chancellor showed up which made fighting free all but impossible. Even the King had to retreat from the general in Tenebrae. You were hit twice and yet you still kept shooting until Noctis could heal you, you fought until they knocked you out to get to him, begged him to run and save himself, even knowing what they would do to you. None of it is your fault," Ignis told him firmly but gently.

Prompto shook his head. "Just saying that…cause of what I am…you shouldn't be in here."

"The room has active dampeners Prompto, while they cannot stop the effect fully, they can negate much of it, and it takes time for it to work, you haven't been here that long. Besides, I can feel your emotions, because of Noctis and because of what I am," he assured him. "Even if I was being influenced, I would still be able to tell what you truly feel towards Noctis and those emotions are strong and true. You would die to save him," he whispered and Prompto nodded. He smiled and squeezed his hand again. "Now, onto more mundane this. How do you feel? You were in pain when you arrived but I believe that is gone now?" Prompto nodded. "Good. Do you feel up to eating?"

"What they…did it...how much?"

Ignis frowned in confusion before realising what he was asking. "You still have a functioning digestive system and need to eat. Your heart is also intact. From what I saw of the scans, your brain is also untouched, in case you were worried about that." Which he likely was. "Your limbs have been reinforced and so you are likely stronger than you are used to. You only had the core and an implant in your arm before?"

"It's a port," he rubbed at the skin and then pressed, revealing the metal and Ignis reached out before stopping but Prompto just held his arm out, watching him warily. Ignis gently gripped his arm to look.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Good," he smiled but then gently stopped the hand reaching for the IV. "Please leave it in, you were dangerously dehydrated Prompto. I promise, it is only fluids to help you recover, no drugs now that the pain relief has been stopped. Until you've drunk more and can show you can keep the fluids and food down it's safer for your health," he explained, but if Prompto really wanted it out…he would remove it for the sake of his mental health. "Here, let me show you," he got up and drew the pole with the bag attached into view, opening the secondary valve in the bag to let some of the liquid drip into his hand, bringing his hand back to where Prompto could see it, letting him sniff it before lapping up the drops himself to prove it wasn't harmful.

"O…okay," Prompto agreed shakily and Ignis smiled at him.

"I'll call for some food and if you stay awake long enough, perhaps you would like a shower?" he suggested seeing him perk up slightly at the suggestion. Ignis got up and ordered a light meal for Prompto and the same for himself, while he didn't need human food he did enjoy it.

They ate quietly, Ignis helping when Prompto flagged, watching carefully for any sign he was going to be sick. Thankfully, Prompto seemed well aware of that risk and was taking great care to eat and drink very slowly.

"Feel up to a shower?"

"Please," he whispered.

Ignis grabbed a gown from the cabinet and helped him slip his arms in, ignoring the blush as Prompto realised he was naked under the blankets. He fastened the gown and then lowered the bed to make it easier, removing the IV but leaving the canula in so that it could be reattached when he was back in bed, covering it to keep the water from getting into it. it was a good thing he'd had to learn a lot of this when Noctis was young. He supported Prompto over to the attached bathroom and into the shower where Prompto sagged against the wall.

"Will you allow me to help?" he asked gently. "I will juts support you unless you ask me to do something more to help."

Prompto hesitated before nodding, obviously realising he needed the help. Ignis helped him out of the gown, glad he wasn't dressed in his normal formal Crownsguard clothing but far more casually since he'd been so ill and he had spare clothing in the Armiger. He pulled his shirt off though since he thought it might make Prompto feel less embarrassed about being totally bare. The boy relaxed under the warm water, sluggishly trying to wash with the soap. It wasn't the most thorough of jobs but it was good enough for a first try. As soon as he was back in bed he fell asleep again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

When Prompto woke up it was to see Ignis across the room, speaking with an older man who looked vaguely familiar…from a news article? Pictures? He felt his heart rate jump, a small whimper sounding and they both turned to look at him. He vaguely heard Ignis call his name but all he could do was stare at Cor Leonis…the Immortal, Marshal of the Crownsguard. He tried to push himself back, away, trying to get off the bed and then someone was holding his hands and he whimpered again.

"Shh Prompto, look at me, come on, focus on me. You're safe Prompto, no one will hurt you," the words slowly cleared and he recognised the voice, Ignis.

He tried to turn his gaze away, to look at the Incubus who had been so kind to him but he couldn't. All he could do was stare at the man who had featured in his nightmares as a child, the man who killed so many MT's, was he going to kill him too? Suddenly the view was blocked and then soft, cool, lips were pressed to his and he gasped. Kissing…Ignis was kissing him? A hand stroked through his hair as Ignis' lips moved against his and he felt the tension drain out of his body, unable to focus on anything but Ignis and the sensations of him touching him. A distant part of his mind realised Ignis was using his powers on him but he didn't care. He whined when Ignis broke the kiss but the hand stayed in his hair, stroking gently.

"That's it Prompto, you're alright," Ignis murmured, green eyes tinted silver, so pretty… Ignis smiled. "Thank you," he whispered and Prompto blinked, had he said that out loud?

Slowly the hyper awareness began to fade, Ignis' eyes becoming fully green again and Prompto shook his head dazedly. "Wha…."

"I apologise," Ignis offered formally, bowing his head. "I could see no other way of helping to calm you and the doctors were going to sedate you, something you would not have wanted," he explained and Prompto saw them, saw the needle and his breathing began to speed up again. "Ignore them Prompto, focus on me," Ignis urged and he whimpered. "Shhh, I won't let them do anything without your permission," he promised.

Could he believe him? But...Ignis had kept his word the whole time. He was bound to Noct too. He forced himself to look back at Ignis who smiled at him.

"That's it, I'm right here," Ignis promised, and Prompto trembled. He trusted Noct like he never had anyone else but maybe, Ignis…he reached out and Ignis pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back as he shook, tears falling. "I've got you."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor had been shocked to see Prompto go deathly pale, whimpering, terrified, as soon as he saw him. saw him practically fall off the bed, trying to get away, the monitors beginning to go crazy as his heart rate went way too high. He backed off as Ignis tried to calm the boy but he wasn't responding.

Medical staff rushed in, preparing to sedate him until Ignis blocked them and Cor snapped an order for them to back off, seeing his hands flex in preparation for summoning his dagger. As soon as they did he turned back to the bed and then shocked everyone by kissing Prompto. Within seconds, Prompto began to relax, heart rate dropping to a more normal rate, and Cor knew Ignis was using his powers to get the boy…MT focused on him only.

He supposed Prompto's reaction answered the question of if he remembered being found by the team. Why would seeing him cause him to panic so much? Unless…what did the Empire tell baby MT's about him, or Clarus, or Regis? Were they the monsters under the bed? But Regis hadn't mentioned his presence causing Prompto to panic. He glared the medics out of the room as the blond broke down in Ignis' arms, he wasn't a floor show.

As the tears calmed ignis glanced at him and nodded so he shifted to lean on a wall not in Prompto's sight line, hopefully the Adviser could work out what the issue was and assure him Cor wasn't going to hurt him or anything. He had come to ask what he knew of Collars and their controllers.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis was relieved when the tears stopped, obviously Prompto had needed another good cry and after everything he had been through, he didn't blame him. "Feeling better?" he asked softly and then felt Prompto cringe, keeping up the gentle stroke of his hair. It was interesting that his powers worked on him, though why wouldn't they when he was a little more than half organic still? "It's alright, you needed the emotional release of a good cry, it's completely expected. You have been through a very traumatic ordeal; I'd be worried if you didn't break down occasionally for a while."

"Sorry," he still whispered and Ignis tightened the hug before slowly letting go, helping him recline again, getting the cup of water to help him drink, glad the IV was still attached. Crying the way he had been was rather thirsty work.

Ignis reclaimed his hand but remained seated on the edge of the bed. "Prompto, do you remember anything of how you got to Insomnia?" he watched as he concentrated, trying to remember but eventually he shook his head. "That's alright, you were in rather bad condition when you were found. We've had teams in Leide in the hop you would be able to escape or signal your location somehow. While we did get a heading for the ship that took you, it changed course at some point. Plans were coming together for strikes against the bases within Lucis in the hope you were being held in one, obviously that was the case."

Ignis paused to make sure the tired boy…young man was following and he was. "One of those teams was just setting up camp for the night when they noticed movement in the distance, human movement. Two of them went to investigate and found you walking along, pulling Noctis with you. They tried to speak with you but you didn't seem to realise they were thee, you just kept walking, whispering about saving Noctis. They each picked one of you up and rushed you back to their camp where basic medical aide in the form of a curative was administered. They weren't sure it would work on you but it did. you were dressed in a torn and very bloody medical gown and Noctis apparently had a bit of fabric around his hips."

Ignis had to pause then and looked down as Prompto squeezed his hand, smiling at the other blond. "It was morning before a retrieval team could reach you and the you were both brought straight here and into isolation for secrecy and security. The team that found you were the same Glaives that saw the fight, plus one. Marshal Cor Leonis was with them, he was the one who first spotted you, who gave you a human safe potion."

Prompto was staring at him with wide eyes. "Don't remember," he admitted shakily. I…they were…" he took a shaky breath. "I remember the surgeries….they were talking about…about installing a command unit and they…they touched Noct…had to get away before they could do that."

"A command unit?" Ignis asked gently and Prompto touched his head…where a large section of hair had been partially shaved away. "I see," he forced back the desire to be sick. "The scans of your brain are clean Prompto, there is nothing in there," he assured him, reaching out to stroke the shorn hair.

Prompto nodded shakily. "They…they had a box…it hurt, said it was connected to the new implants. If…if I was good it wouldn't hurt but he touched Noct," he took in a shuddering breath and Ignis tightened his grip on his hand. They left for lunch and I tried talking to Noct but he just knelt there, staring… they came back and…" he looked down at their joined hands. "Knew I had to get out, had to save Noct, but….I don't remember getting free or anything."

"It's not surprising, you were badly wounded, covered in blood, and…not all of it was yours. You must have been walking for days with no food or water, dragging Noctis along with you," Ignis told him, glancing up at Cor briefly. "You had something in your hand when you were found, that is why Cor came, to ask you about it. He won't hurt you Prompto, Cor serves the Crown and you have the King's protection. You nearly died at least twice to try and protect Noctis, another reason to not hurt you."

"Ignis is right Prompto," Cor spoke up softly and Prompto tensed, but Ignis soothed him and Cor slowly moved forward to where Prompto could see him. "I won't hurt you. I don't know what the Hunters or those in the Empire would have told you about me, but I do not go around randomly killing people. I have no reason to harm you."

Ignis held Prompto's hand, rubbing the back of it gently, feeling how tense he was. Ignis shifted around on the bed, pulling Prompto into his arms, rubbing his back.

Cor brought out a photo and approached slowly, holding it out. Prompto hesitated but then took it, looking at in confusion before his eyes widened.

"I had this?"

"You know what it is?"

"The controller for Noct's collar. I saw the Chancellor use it before…." He shuddered. "I had it?"

"Coated in blood," Cor agreed.

"Oh," he shrugged slightly. "I don't remember getting it."

"We've taken scans, but no one knows how to use it. Do you know anything about it? We were hoping it could be used to remove the collar?" Cor asked and Prompto frowned.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He stared down at the picture, there been some basic classes on the things since MT's could be deployed with them but it was very basic. "I uh…left before we got more than the very basic classes on them, but…I'm really good with Imperial tech and I know some of the stuff is hidden."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor looked at him, seeing the loathing on his face as he stared at the photo. He'd watched what footage there was of the boy since he'd been brought in, seeing the sheer blind panic waking in a medical room had caused, heard his screams when he saw the scans… he reached into his pocket and handed the device over, seeing blue eyes go wide in shock even as he held it very carefully.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto bit back the disbelieving question about Leonis' sanity at just handing it over. He very carefully turned it over in his hands, eyes picking out the subtle markings in the Gralean dialect, good thing he remembered it from childhood. He felt sick just holding it but this was for Noct. They had to get the collar off, this might not be the only unit attuned to it and he didn't know what the range on them was. "I need to see the collar," he said after a while. "It should have some codes imprinted on it."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis looked at Cor, he saw no problem with letting Prompto see Noct to see the collar. He was Oathbound to the Prince, he couldn't harm him. Cor stared at him before nodding.

"Can you walk?" he asked and Prompto immediately started trying to get up.

"Easy, let me help," Ignis told him. He helped him shift to sit on the edge of the bed and then got up, wrapping an arm around Prompto's waist to help him stand, the blond handing Cor the unit just to be safe. He saw Prompto wince so he scooped him up, he'd been walking through Leide barefoot for who knew how many days, even with the noted accelerated healing, they had to still be sore. Cor opened the door and they left Prompto's room, going for the next one over.

"Cor?" the King asked as Ignis carried Prompto inside. He stood from the chair beside the bed and nodded to Ignis who crossed the room and set Prompto down on it, the blond not paying any attention, eyes locked on Noctis.

"He had some lessons on collars before defecting, said there's codes imprinted on the collar," the Marshal explained. Ignis watched as Prompto leant in to see the collar, grabbing the bed control to lower it so he wouldn't have to stand.

"Noct…." Prompto whispered, shakily reaching out to touch the collar, obviously looking with his fingers, running them over the metal. "It's okay, we're safe now," he whispered to Noctis as he worked. "I need to get to the back," he finally said, slowly pushing up to his feet, holding on to the rail of the bed.

Ignis gently sat Noctis forward, supporting his limp body so that Prompto could get a look.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis watched his sons Retainers, both so gentle, vampire hearing picking up the whispers of Prompto trying to tell Noctis he was alright. Who knew, maybe Noctis could hear them since they were still bonded. It was a shock to see no reaction from Noctis to either of them touching him when usually it had him reacting in pleasure. Maybe the collars weren't meant to react to MT's, saw the as part of the furniture? No, not if ones who looked like Prompto had been used. The bonds somehow keeping it from happening? He didn't know but it was a relief.

Prompto finished and collapsed back into the chair while Ignis resettled Noctis, the blond looking to Cor who handed over the controller. He watched the boy examine it again and smile in relief. "It's definitely synced to Noct's collar."

"How can you be sure?" Cor asked.

"All collars and controllers come with serial numbers that don't match. That way anyone stealing them is unlikely to grab a pair, most people would grab ones with matching numbers, assuming that meant they were paired."

"Clever," Regis admitted .

"Mmmhmm." The blond was doing something to the unit, fingers running over it, pressing seemingly randomly. The collar suddenly lit up and they saw the eerie sight of Noctis' eyes glowing a matching red before it faded and there was a loud click. Prompto put the controller down and stood again to reach for the collar, carefully pulling it open and then off Noctis' Ignis lifting his head so it would come free. Prompto tossed the collar and controller away from the bed, before leaning forward slightly, fingers gently running over Noctis' cheek. "Noct? Can you hear me? It's Prompto."

Regis walked over to join them, reaching for his son's hand, finding it limp. He squeezed gently. "Son?" he called. "Noctis please wake up, it's Dad." He looked up to see Ignis pressing a hand to Noctis' forehead, eyes going silver, and he knew he was trying to reach Noctis through their bonds.

They all watched in hope as Noctis sighed softly, eyes falling shut. "He…he's asleep," Ignis murmured. "I haven't felt him sleep since the collar went on."

"He must be exhausted," Cor offered.

Regis reached out with his other hand to run through black hair, relieved when it didn't cause the same reaction as before.

"I stopped that, before turning it off," Prompto whispered shakily. "Just…just in case taking it off doesn't change anything, he shouldn't be made to react like that," he explained.

Regis lifted his hand from his sons hair to gently clasp a hospital gown clad shoulder, tearful blue eyes lifting to meet his. "Thank you. No matter the outcome of this, thank you."

_TBC…_


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 13**

Prompto ignored everything around him, remaining in the seat, holding a cool, limp hand in his. He didn't know how long Noct had been sleeping and didn't care, he wasn't moving till he woke up. He was terrified, that removing the collar wouldn't have changed anything, that he would spend his life in a bed staring at the ceiling, unable to speak or understand anything.

He ate and drank whatever Ignis gave him, the Incubus also refusing to leave. He'd heard him arguing with someone before but no one had tried to make them leave since so he assumed he'd won. The King couldn't stay, not when they were pretending nothing had changed.

He tensed when a hand landed on his shoulder but looked up to find a vampire there…he'd been in Prompto's room…had carried him…Gladio! Right, he was Noct's Shield.

"Easy blondie, I'm not going to hurt you," for someone so large his voice was gentle. "I know you don't want to, but you need to get up and stretch your muscles out a bit. You probably need the restroom too."

Prompto wanted to stubbornly stay in the chair but…he knew the Shield was right. He got up slowly, letting him steady him, relieved to find his feet didn't hurt anymore. A look around the room revealed Ignis curled up asleep on a cot against the wall and the room otherwise empty. Gladio walked with him, a guard or to make sure he didn't fall?

"You're bound to my Prince, Prompto," Gladio spoke up after a while. "You've saved him more than once, I owe you a debt I doubt I'll ever be able to repay, for doing my job for me."

"But I…"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"I've seen the footage," Gladio stopped him, turning face to face. "No one could have stopped what happened, not even the King himself. You did everything you could, kept fighting until they knocked you out. Even after everything they did to you, you still managed to escape with Noctis, to drag his unresponsive body across the kingdom…maybe Cor could have managed something like that," he smirked slightly before sobering. "I doubt anyone else could have done what you did."

He could see it, the kid didn't want to believe him, thought he had failed. He couldn't help glancing at the bed where Noctis still slept, praying he'd wake up and know them. He got the feeling it would take Noct telling him he wasn't to blame for Prompto to consider believing it. It was also easy to tell that he made Prompto nervous, though he wasn't sure why. He'd seen the scan; the kid could likely match or near match him in a contest of strength, though he'd be a lot easier to deal with than a full MT.

If…if Noct didn't recover then they would have to protect the boy, he knew the King would agree. How much freedom could he be given though? Anyone exposed to him enough would eventually work out what he was and that would place him in danger. Hopefully, the Empire thought they had perished in the wilds. Prompto's brain was unaltered but what of his mind? Could they have imprinted commands deep in his subconscious? No, surely they never would have escaped if that were the case.

It was easy to see what had attracted Noct to him, beyond being an MT. He was attractive, obviously devoted to Noct, though how quickly that had come about Gladio didn't know. Was it a result of their relationship or had it been part of why they had fallen into a relationship? Ignis was positive that Prompto genuinely loved Noctis and he believed Ignis. The pain and grief was far too real to be faked.

"No matter what happens Prompto, you will have a place with me and Iggy," he promised softly and then met startled blue eyes. He smiled at him. "You're one of us."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto supported Noctis as Ignis carefully washed his body. He'd been sleeping for days now, with no sign of waking, and Ignis had decided he would feel better with a shower and so they were inside the bathroom attached to the isolation room. They had stripped off fully and Prompto had to fight the urge to cover his scarred body. Many of the wounds had been too old by the time they had been found to heal without scarring. His own accelerated healing had ensured the scars were far less than a human would have been left with, but he was still uncomfortable with them, knowing they marked areas where he was no longer human.

He watched as Ignis ever so tenderly, lifted one of Noctis' legs, running the soapy cloth over his pale skin. Ignis…ever since he'd kissed him, well. He understood why he'd done it, to calm him down without sedation, but it left him feeling confused. It was stupid, Ignis would never be interested in him, besides he was with Noctis and once the Prince was better Prompto knew he would go back to Ignis and Gladio, if he was reading it right. That was the way it should be, he didn't belong.

He gently turned Noct, supporting his neck, to let Ignis wash his hair. "Bet that feels better," he whispered, watching sure hands massage the shampoo in and then they both froze as they heard a soft noise.

"Noctis?" Ignis whispered, shifting his hand to caress a pale cheek. "Can you hear me?" Prompto shifted, backing up to sit on the small bench seat in the shower, cradling Noctis to his chest. They both saw as Noct's head shifted slightly in Ignis' hand. "That's it, we're here, you're safe," he murmured. They kept the water running to stay warm as Noctis began showing more signs of waking.

Noctis whined, eyelids fluttering, fingers twitching, and Prompto carefully took one of his hands in his, gently squeezing to let him know he wasn't alone. Ever so slowly, his eyes opened and he blinked dazedly up at them.

"Noct?" Prompto breathed hopefully.

Noctis whimpered, eyes wide, breathing too quickly.

Ignis gently stroked his cheek, attempting to soothe him. "Shh, it's alright, you're safe." Wide eyes stared at him, Prompto able to feel Noctis trembling in his arms. "You're home now love," he whispered. "Noct? Can you understand me?" he asked as Noctis remained silent. He could obviously see them, was aware once again but he seemed scared of them, like…like he didn't recognise them. "Let's get him out of the shower." Ignis reached back to turn the water off.

Prompto carefully shifted his grip, cradling him close and Noctis whimpered. "It's okay Noct, I won't hurt you," he whispered, fighting the urge to cry even as he stood slowly, seeing Ignis laying towels on the heated floor. Prompto gently lay Noctis down on the towels and they began drying him, despite the heartbreaking noises of fear. They dressed him in a loose gown before quickly re-dressing themselves and Prompto carried Noctis back to his bed while Ignis went to make calls.

Prompto sat on the bed and held Noctis with his head over his heart, knowing he used to find comfort in the sound, even as he gently rubbed his back. "It's okay, I know you're scared, but no one is going to hurt you. You're home and safe Noct," he promised softly, rocking him and whispering and gradually, the shaking stopped and a weak hand shifted to clutch at his shirt.

He looked up as the door opened, shifting protectively around Noctis who whimpered in reaction to his tension, pressing closer to him but the Prompto relaxed as he recognised the King. As he relaxed, Noctis settled again, and the King approached slowly, able to hear the soft whimpers and whines Noctis was making as he clutched at Prompto's shirt again even as Prompto went back to rubbing his back.

"Noctis? Son?" the King called softly.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis heard the phone ring and picked it up, straightening when he realised it was Ignis' number. "What is it?" he asked, heart in his throat.

"Noctis is awake Sire," Ignis answered and Regis didn't wait, hanging up and rushing from his office.

It was all he could do to not jump out a window and warp down to the right floor, taking the elevator instead. It felt like it took a century to reach the isolation ward, seeing Ignis waiting for him but…he did not look as relieved or happy as he expected and his heart sank. "Ignis?"

Ignis bowed. "Sire. We were giving Noctis a shower when he began stirring. It took effort but he managed to wake up. He…he is aware, can track movement, and reacted to touch but…" Ignis took a dep breath. "He has not spoken and…..and he does not appear to recognise us. I'm not sure if he can even understand us. While scared and confused he has not lashed out or tried to escape."

"Has he made any sound?"

"Whimpering and whining," Ignis offered sadly.

"I see…" he took a breath and then entered the room, seeing Prompto on the bed, with Noctis in his arms and then Prompto was twisting, shielding Noctis with his body before obviously recognising him and relaxing, rubbing Noctis' back. He approached slowly, forcing himself to remain calm, even as he heard the noises Noct was making. "Noctis? Son?" he called softly, seeing him press closer to Prompto.

He sat down on the chair beside the bed and carefully reached out to brush his fingers against Noctis' cheek, wide blue eyes meeting his. There was no recognition in his gaze, just fear and confusion. He dropped his hand down to take the one Noctis didn't have twisted in Prompto's shirt. He called on not the Crystal's magic, but on the bond between parent and child that existed among their kind. Some of the fear faded from his eyes, but the confusion remained, though now there was curiosity as well.

Noctis slowly relaxed in Prompto's arms, rubbing his cheek against his shirt even as he stared at their joined hands, fingers twitching and Regis held still, letting his sons fingers move over his hand, exploring.

"Has he tried to speak?" Regis asked softly.

"No, nothing," Prompto answered. "I…I'm sorry…he's only clinging to me because…"

"Hush Prompto," Regis used his free hand to clasp his shoulder. "It does no matter why. I am grateful that your presence is soothing to him. It is obvious he does not recognise us and is scared."

"Do…do you think…his memory?"

"I don't know," Regis murmured, stroking the curious fingers. "Let's see if he'll take some blood, it is as much an act of comfort between parent and child as nutrition," he explained, lifting his wrist to his mouth to bite down. Noctis reacted to the scent, fangs extending, eyes darkening, and he held his wrist to his lips, smiling when Noctis latched onto the wound, suckling eagerly.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto didn't flinch as Noctis latched on to his Father's wrist, it wasn't like he hadn't let Noct feed from him on the journey. And…it seemed to be working, Noctis relaxing further. The hand in his shirt loosened, beginning to kneed at his chest, his eyes falling half shut. Prompto kept rubbing his back as the King allowed him to feed. Eventually though the King had to dislodge him before he took too much and Noctis whined.

The King chuckled softly and carefully stroked his hand through still damp black hair. "Always so greedy," he teased but Noctis said nothing in return.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis watched from the doorway, heartbreaking for the King as Noct failed to show any recognition of his own father. He slipped away to call Gladio and explain what was happening, hating that he had to tell him to keep his distance. A large vampire that Noctis didn't recognise…that couldn't reach out to him with magic…Noctis was scared and confused enough as it was. Gladio understood, though he obviously hated it, he still agreed to only watch from the observation room. They would have to reintroduce them to each other gradually if Noctis' memory did not return.

What would happen if Noctis' never remembered? Could he re-learn how to speak? He seemed to be reacting instinctively, though thankfully not violently. Was he capable of higher intelligence anymore? Had the collar destroyed that? Or merely supressed it? he leant against the wall, struggling to control his own breathing and not collapse in a sobbing pile.

"Scientia?" A voice called in concern and he looked up to see the acting Captain of the Kingsglaive, Nyx Ulric walking towards him, looking worried. "What's happened?" he asked, kneeling down and Ignis realised he was sitting on the floor.

"Noct…he," he closed his eyes and forced his shields into place, locking his emotions down. "He's awake."

"That's good news, isn't it?"

"He didn't recognise us, he's not speaking, but he's aware and able to move," he explained tiredly.

"Almost sounds like he's gone feral," Nyx winced and Ignis' eyes widened.

Was that it? Going feral wasn't a common occurrence for vampires, it was rather rare these days. It was usually caused by high stress, like a continuing life threatening situation, and starvation, instinct taking over in order to try and survive. Feral vampires could come back to themselves with time and effort, though some ended up being killed because they couldn't, because they were just too out of control and violent. But Noct wasn't showing any signs of violence…because of Prompto? Was his nature helping keep Noctis docile, even with the dampeners? Noctis would likely be attuned to him after so long on the road together, he trusted and loved Prompto and maybe that was enough to let the blond help.

"If that is so, then there is a chance his memories are still intact," Ignis managed a small smile. "That is more hope than I have had since he woke."

Nyx offered a small one in return and offered his hand. "Come on, this floor cannot be comfortable."

Ignis was surprised but took his hand and was pulled easily to his feet. Very few people ever offered to touch him, then again, he may not know what Ignis was yet if his position was still 'acting'.

"You're not contagious and you aren't dangerous or you'd never be allowed near the Prince," the Glaive said as he steadied him. "I know you're not a vampire or human but it doesn't matter."

Ignis was shocked by his blunt words, he knew Ulric was half human and perhaps having a foot in each world made him more accepting of differences. "I…" he settled his jacket and took a deep breath. "I am an Incubus, Captain. I understand why the idea of touching me makes others nervous," he admitted and while blue eyes widened slightly, there was no sign of fear or disgust.

"I didn't think there were any of your kind in Lucis."

"To my knowledge, I am the only one and it came as a rather big shock when I hit puberty." He shrugged slightly, as if it didn't matter.

"You should talk to Pelna. He had an Uncle, unfortunately he died in the first imperial attack but Pelna knew him well. He might be able to tell you something that you don't know."

"His Uncle?" he'd been told…but Galahd had always been very independent.

"Rest of Lucis may be mostly vampire or Human but we were always a rather eclectic mix. At least till the Empire started raiding us. Humans and vampires are more combat able than most other species and while we did our best to try and protect the others.." he shrugged; eyes sad. "Well, us and some were-Coeurls, they loved giving the Empire a shocking welcome," he snickered slightly and even Ignis' lips twitched in amusement at the mental image his words conjured. A shocking welcome indeed.

"Thank you."

The Glaive shrugged. "No problem. Hey, the kid…"

"Prompto? He's conscious and recovering well physically. His focus on helping Noctis has kept him mentally focused, for now."

"I saw his wounds, saw the metal."

Ignis nodded. "The process was incomplete," he assured him. "Some part of Noctis seems to recognise him at least," he glanced back at the room. "The King is with them for now."

"Let me know if I can do anything to help," he handed him a card after scribbling a number on it. "Mine and Pelna's numbers. Keep your chin up, the Prince is a fighter."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis looked up when Ignis slipped back into the room, moving to one of the computers and then the exam screen lit up with a typed message. Feral? Noctis was not showing all of the sigs, though some could be mitigated by Prompto's presence, still, it was a diagnosis with more hope than most

"Feral?" Prompto's eyes were wide and he tightened his grip on Noctis without seeming to realise it.

The boy had been a hunter… "If he is then there is a chance he will remember," Regis spoke up and blue eyes met his. "I assume hunters were called on any vampires found in such a state?"

That got a nod. "I only helped on one of those…she'd…she'd killed a family, gone after another….there were kids…"

"Then you did the right thing," he words seemed to shock the blond. "In some cases, the vampire is beyond any help and must be killed for everyone's sake. Noctis is not showing any signs of that," he assured him, glancing down at where Noctis was almost childishly playing with his fingers. He needed to ask, but it was rather awkward. "How many hunts have you taken…"

"I…." he shifted nervously and Noctis whined softly, sensing his discomfort? Prompto ran his fingers through his hair and Noctis settled. The blond glanced at him before shocking him by offering his wrist, it was obvious what he was offering. It was a massive invasion of privacy and yet…also the best way to be able to say without doubt the boy was no threat if his status ever came out.

"Are you sure?" he asked gently.

"Noct did it, after he saw a paper and realised I looked a lot like Besithia. He stopped before he got early enough to realise what I am though."

"Does he know?"

"Yeah, he liked sleeping with his head over my heart except one night he picked up on extra noise. I told him everything then," Prompto pressed a soft kiss to Noctis' hair, hand still extended.

Regis gently took the limb, supporting it so that the boys arm wouldn't ache. He glanced up to see Prompto still had his head lowered, cheek pressed to the top of Noctis' head, his son almost asleep in his arms. The arm in his was relaxed though he could feel the occasional tiny tremor. He gave him plenty of time to change his mind before finally his fangs pierced the soft skin, he'd seen the scans, knew where to bight to avoid any of the alterations, tasting human blood, closing his eyes as his magic gently flowed into Prompto. He bit back a scream of rage at the first memory…his son, blue eyes empty, face slack with pleasure as two MT's…he could hear Prompto's pleading cries, could feel his pain as he was forced to watch….he wrenched away from the memory going back further. What other horrors lurked in his memory?

_TBC…_


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 14**

Regis continued taking tiny sips of Prompto's blood, seeing the battle more fully than Crowe's recording had been able to show, feeling the boy's pain as he was electrocuted twice, his feeling that something was wrong before they were ambushed. He saw…yes, well, he didn't need to know that much about his son or Prompto. He saw Prompto swear himself to Noctis without hesitation, an Oath Noctis had altered…as if Prompto wouldn't be remaining at his side. he saw flashes of their journey through the hills, of Noctis hearing the announcement of his own funeral, finding the blockade. He fought the urge to be sick as Prompto stabbed himself, desperate to prove he was human. He definitely needed to arrange a session with a professional for him, if they could find one who would agree to see him.

Seeing the two fight side by side…it was like they'd been doing it for years. He saw Noctis doing what he was now, saw them travelling, camping at...the Vesperpool? Noctis too pale, weak, sleeping all of the time, and Prompto caring for him, then a tiny apartment in what had to be Meldacio. He saw Prompto come upon the werewolves, killing them, destroying the collar in horror and then realising just who they'd been attacking but not hesitating to give him blood before carrying him away. He kept going, seeing Prompto's life with the hunters, how he did everything he could to avoid hunting sentients, sticking to daemons and beasts, unless there was positive proof against the attacker. He watched his years in the wilds on his own until found by a Hunter. Saw him kill a vampire and save the child he was draining, only a child himself. Further back to the terrifying journey across the sea, stowing away on boats and trains, Gralea in all its 'glory' and then some kind of facility. What he saw there sickened him, the rows of identical children, shaved heads and too skinny. It was a relief to gently sever the connection and pull back, licking the wound closed.

He looked up to see Prompto's head still resting against Noctis, his son asleep in his arms, his eyes closed and Regis wished there was some way to reverse the process but even if they could remove everything without killing him, he would die from the missing organs. The Magitek Core had been in him so long his body likely relied heavily on it too, having adapted to the energy it put out. He gently lowered the arm he was holding and then reached out to clasp his shoulder.

"Prompto?" he called gently and the boy tensed but slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. He could see the fear and…yes, self-loathing in the bright blue eyes. The sooner Noctis could assure Prompto it wasn't his fault, the better. "If it weren't for the fact your presence is currently secret, I would be awarding you the highest honour available for what you have done for my son," he smiled at him. "You were tortured, brainwashed, treated inhumanly, and yet you have become someone I would be proud to know."

Prompto's eyes were wide with shock. "I…"

"You did not fail Noctis," he swore to him. "If I could undo what they did to you, I would, but to do so would kill you. You are a member of Noctis' Retinue now and will be given the protection that position comes with."

"I…I wasn't supposed to come here. We both knew I couldn't, he wanted to keep me safe, to make sure I had everything I'd need even if blacklisted."

Regis nodded, no doubt Noctis had planned to set him up somewhere relatively safe and ensure he had funds too, though likely he hadn't mentioned that bit yet. Finding some way for him to live in the Citadel would not be easy, he had already spoken to engineers and scientists alike about making a dampener that a person could wear which would help. The Council were not going to be happy about his presence but Noctis had the right to choose his anyone he pleased for the third member of his Retinue.

And…there was maybe one way to restore his body, though he would insist on thorough research before even suggesting it. If he were to become a vampire, it was possible his organs could regenerate. There were records of people with missing limbs or massive wounds that had severely damaged their organs healing during the process. Would the boy agree to such a thing? He loved Noctis but enough to become something he had been born to see as the enemy?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

As tempting as it was to just stuff Noctis full of blood, that would actually do more harm than good. They had to gradually increase the amount his was being given while ensuring he felt a safe as possible. Prompto's presence definitely helped ensure he felt safe, the Prince never letting go of him willingly.

Thankfully, he was no longer so fearful of Ignis either, the Incubus careful to radiate comfort and safety as best he could but the King was the only one other than Prompto who Noctis would let hold him, the parental bond reaching him even in his current state. Gladio was forced to watch and wait in the observation room, Noctis terrified of other vampires, hissing and snarling at several of the medical staff even as he clung to Prompto or his Dad, the reactions fearful and defensive rather than mindlessly violent.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto stroked his hand through fine black hair, eyes closed, feeling the tug and pull at his throat. It felt strange, Noctis had never actually fed from him before, he'd just nipped and sipped a few times or Prompto had bled into a container for him. That time in the motel didn't count since there'd been magic and mind reading involved and it had been from his wrist, not his neck.

Ignis was watching, ready to help pull Noctis off if he didn't stop drinking before it began to get risky.

It had been three weeks and Noctis looked fully healthy again, all test results coming back normal, and yet he was still feeding a lot more than normal. More depressingly, he still showed no signs of recognising anyone or understanding them. One of the times the King was with Noctis, Gladio and Ignis had taken him aside to ask what he knew about the feral state and to explain more. They had to be so careful in trying to bring Noctis out of it or else they could leave him permanently damaged, he may never remember anything or only have a handful of scattered memories, could remain unable to speak…so much could go wrong.

"Please be okay," he whispered and then he felt Noctis lapping the wound with his tongue, sealing it. Noctis pulled back, staring at him curiously, and Prompto smiled at him, gently wiping a stray drop of blood off his chin. "All done?" he asked, not expecting an answer so he froze when Noctis gave a jerky nod, seeing Ignis straighten up in his peripheral vision. "Noct?" he whispered, searching those dark blue eyes, but there was no recognition. "Can you understand me?" he asked and Noctis tilted his head to the side before something seemed to…slip away and then he was cuddling against him as if nothing had happened.

Prompto looked at Ignis, bewildered. "Did he?"

"It's a good sign," Ignis whispered. "The process is gradual but he definitely showed signs of understanding you even if only for a few moments." He reached out and gently clasped the hand that wasn't supporting Noctis' back. "It will take time for him to be aware for longer periods.

"He still didn't…"

"Memories are usually the last to return, it's not concerning." The 'yet' remained unsaid. Ignis squeezed his hand gently and Prompto nodded slowly, not pulling away.

He liked Ignis and he knew causal physical contact was just part of who he was. He could feel Ignis, differently to how he could feel Noct's magic in himself, the link between them. He knew that for some reason, Ignis liked him. Just because they were both tied to Noctis? He glanced down and smiled at the sight of Noctis sleeping again, it was all he did, feed and sleep.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis carefully brushed Noctis' hair for him, glad that he was finally allowed to freely touch and hold him. There had been more scattered moments were Noctis seemed to understand them but they never lasted long, his responses always non-verbal. He smiled when Noct actually purred for him, pressing into the brush, obviously enjoying it. he set the brush aside and ran his fingers through his hair instead, Noctis melting against him. "I miss you," he whispered.

Noctis tipped his head back, blinking at him, and then he frowned slightly, reaching up to touch Ignis' cheek and he automatically pressed into the hesitant touch, getting a real smile from Noct for the first time, a human expression and not just an instinctive reaction. He moved from behind Noctis to sit on the chair beside the bed, gently taking his hands in his own, thumbs rubbing tenderly at cool skin.

"Are you hungry?" he asked gently, keeping eye contact, seeing the hint of comprehension and then Noctis jerked a nod. "Alright, let's take care of that." He went to stand but Noctis surprised him by tightening the hold on his hands. "Noct?"

Noctis stared at him, seeming confused, but about what? Then Noctis let go of one hand, reaching towards his face and Ignis stayed still, barely breathing, as Noctis clumsily took his glasses, studying them. He looked back up at Ignis and then at his glasses, frowning slightly, obviously trying to work something out. His lips parted and Ignis waited, praying he would speak, but nothing happened except a brief look of frustration. It was more than he'd shown so far though. He was obviously thinking, not just reacting.

"Noct? Can you understand me?" he asked carefully and that got another choppy nod. "Do…do you know who I am?"

Noctis tightened his grip on his glasses and Ignis wondered if he'd have to get his spare pare but then Noctis held them up to Ignis' face. He looked at Ignis then the glasses and was obviously trying to tell him something…

"Specs," he whispered the childhood nickname and Noctis smiled again, patting at his cheek. He lost his grip but Ignis caught them before they hit the ground, seeing him fade away again. It didn't matter, nothing could upset him at that moment. It had only lasted a minute or so but for that brief time…Noctis had known who he was! He had even tried to speak. The 'treatment' was working.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Nyx kept his body relaxed as Gladio emerged with Shooter…Prompto, the boy staring at him warily. "Amicitia," he greeted before nodding to the blond. "Good to see you on your feet kid," his greeting got a stunned look.

"Uh…"

"I was on the team trying to get to you and the Prince and then on the one that brought you both in."

"Oh," the blond nervously chewed his lip. "Thank you."

"You're a good shot, best I've seen," he offered, seeing pale cheeks tinge red. It was hard to think of the kid in front of him as an MT, or at least partially one, Scientia had said the process was incomplete. Nyx had the feeling he didn't want to know what the 'process' involved. He offered his hand, seeing the flash of surprise. "Nyx Ulric," he introduced and the boy hesitated but then took his hand.

"Prompto Argentum." He glanced back at the isolation room and Amicitia gently gripped his shoulder, urging him on.

"Come on blondie, let's get you kitted out."

"Where are we going?" he asked as Nyx fell into step with them.

"You can't stay in the iso ward all your life, so the King's had some scientists working on getting a portable dampener unit made," the Prince's Shield explained.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"What?" Prompto couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Did you really think we'd keep you locked up in there?" the vampire asked, looking down at him and all he could do was shrug slightly. "Not happening, Noct would never allow it so it's better to have something sorted before he's back on his feet."

They walked through the halls, Gladio and Ulric walking so they blocked peoples view of him as best they could. When Ulric opened the door to a lab he froze, unable to keep walking as he saw scientists, his breathing speeding up.

,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio felt the blond freeze, heard his heart begin to race, his breathing becoming almost gasps and he mentally swore at their idiocy. He pulled Prompto down the hall so that he couldn't see the room, gently urging his head down. "Breath Prompto, come on, follow my breathing. You're safe, no one is going to hurt you," he murmured over and over until his breathing eventually slowed. "That's it, I've got you. I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised, gently pulling Prompto into a hug, rubbing his back.

They really hadn't thought this out properly, they'd thought it would be good for him to leave the isolation wing, stretch his legs and see more of the Citadel. Bringing him to any kind of scientific room though… what had they been thinking? They should have made them come to Prompto and then taken him on a walk.

He felt Prompto shudder against him and moved his hand from his back to run through his hair. "That's it, you're okay."

"P..pl…ease…" he begged and Gladio slid down the wall, seeing Ulric take up a protective position nearby.

He held Prompto in his lap, gently rubbing his hair and back, doing his best to calm him. "Shh, it's alright," he kept whispering protection and comfort until finally Prompto began relaxing. "That's it, you're alright."

"Please….I'll be good…don't let them…"

Gladio nudged Prompto's head up, seeing the fear in his eyes, and he felt even worse. "Prompto listen to me," he urged, brushing now sweaty blond hair back from his face. "Can you hear me?" he asked gently and Prompto blinked before nodding lethargically. "No one is going to hurt you; I won't let them. We'll be right beside you the whole time. We're just here to look at the dampener, see if it works, okay? No needled, scalpels, restraints, nothing. I promise." He stood slowly, helping Prompto to his feet, walking very slowly towards the room. "See, it's okay," he encouraged.

Nyx turned and smiled at Prompto. "No one's going to touch you kid," he promised as well.

They got Prompto into the room and a woman approached, eyeing Prompto warily but her expression softened at the obvious fear in his expression. "We have a prototype ready," she addressed Gladio and he nodded. "Please, come this way," she led them through the bustling lab and into a side room where a man was leant over a bench with some tools.

He looked up at them and set the tools aside. "Perfect timing, all done." He backed away from the bench, keeping his distance.

The woman went to the bench and picked up what he'd been working on, a thick, heavy black band. "This is the prototype, to be worn around either wrist. It should actually run off the power put out by your…" she gestured at his chest and Prompto flinched slightly.

"Will that hurt him? Doesn't his body and new implants need that energy?"

"According to the readings we were given, there is considerable excess energy being produced, likely due to his body still being very organic," she explained. "He'll need to be monitored just to be safe, this is a prototype after all. I suggest a good gym work or two, or some form of combat training, something physically demanding, to ensure the drain then isn't dangerous. It's waterproof so there will be no problems showering or even diving with it." She held it out but Prompto didn't move so Gladio stepped forward to accept it.

"Which wrist?" he asked gently and Prompto slowly raised the one with the barcode which made sense, might as well use this thing to hide it. He wrapped it around his wrist, doing it up, being careful it wasn't too tight. "Feel anything?" he asked and Prompto frowned, staring at the black band, Gladio suspected the King's hand in the colour choice, marking him as protected by the Crown. "Prompto?" he asked and he heard a scoff from across the room, Prompto flinching again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Nyx stayed quiet when Prompto freaked out, kicking himself for not seeing that coming. The kid had escaped a lab where he'd been mutilated, of course he'd see a scientist and lose it. Though it was good to see not even a second of violence in that meltdown. He didn't want to think of what it must have been like to have his body so mutilated but part of him couldn't help wondering what it was like, if the kid could feel what had been done to him.

When the guy who'd been working on the band scoffed he glared, it was obvious what he was thinking, that Prompto was no better than a machine, that he shouldn't have a name but the number on his wrist. The engineer flinched back from him…human, brave but stupid to be so obvious around a vampire in protective mode like Amicitia visibly was.

Nyx turned his attention to Prompto, looking for any sign of discomfort or illness from the energy drain.

"M'okay," Prompto whispered.

"If anything happens, just take it off. You're staying in the isolation rooms, right?" she asked Prompto directly, unlike her co-worker. Prompto glanced up at her and nodded. "Then your condition will be monitored, so if anything does happen we can check the data."

"Thank you," Prompto told her and she offered a small smile.

"Come on kid, let's take a walk, see how that goes," Gladio offered, nodding to the staff, before the three of them left.

They walked the corridors; glad they were mostly empty once they reached the isolation areas.

"How're you doing?" Nyx asked after about half an hour. Slowly he reached out a hand and wide blue eyes watched him but the kid didn't move so he gently ruffled wild blond hair. "Feeling any different?"

"No, I'm okay."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis lay on the bed with Prompto, Noctis sleeping between them. Technically it was beds, the one from what had been Prompto's room had been brought in to give more room since Noctis wanted contact. He was enjoying getting to know Prompto, working to draw him out of his nervous shell. He had been a Hunter, had the courage to run from the Empire, which meant the nervousness and quiet was likely due to the most recent trauma and the stress of Noctis' condition, likely being in the Citadel wasn't helping that either. Every smile or laugh was a victory.

He was also getting Prompto used to him touching him casually. Most of the time the blond didn't seem to notice or mind but he'd stop if he tensed. He had not been violated the same way Noctis had but he'd been forced to watch. That he had clung to him that first day after waking and had let him touch him since was amazing. Was he pushing down his own trauma to help Noctis?

Ignis was trying to think of what sot of role he could have within the Citadel. He may have the skills to be Noctis' Cor, or at least a good grounding that could eventually translate to it with further training. He knew the King had had a fourth member…a mechanic? But that was not a role that would be needed for Noctis since he was unlikely to leave the city again after all of this, even if he did fully recover.

Perhaps he should arrange for some educational supplies to see what took Prompto's interest.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis sat on the chair, smiling as he played with his son, Prompto watching them even as his hand lazily ran up and down Noctis' back. So far, the device appeared to be working without any side effects, thankfully. Noctis patted his cheek and he looked back at his son who smiled at him. His times of being able to understand them and even communicate were getting longer even as his need for blood was beginning to lower to more normal levels. His ability to actually recognise them was less frequent but every time it happened it made him so happy.

"Was I ignoring you?" he asked teasingly and Noctis nodded. He reached for him and Regis gently wrapped his arms around him, feeling him cuddle in against him. "I love you Noctis," he murmured and Noctis pulled back, staring at him. "Son?" he asked after a minute.

Noctis licked his lips, throat working. He opened his mouth, lips moving, only to frown. Regis watched his lips closely; glad he knew how to lip read form watching the occasional surveillance video. His heart leap as he realised what Noctis was trying to say…Dad.

Regis laughed and leant in, kissing his forehead. "Yes Noctis, it's me. You know me," he smiled shakily and Noctis reached up to touch his beard.

He tried to talk, touching his throat, looking frustrated, only to stat when Prompto wrapped an arm around his waist. He turned his head and his eyes went wide.

"Noct?" Prompto asked softly and then he gasped as he ended up on his back, Noctis on top of him, lips pressed to his.

Well…he definitely recognised Prompto.

Noctis pulled back to let him breath and Prompto laughed wetly, tears in his eyes. He reached up to gently trace a pale cheek and Noctis pressed into his touch, smiling. This was the most like himself Noctis had been yet and it seemed to be lasting longer too.

"I've missed you so much," Prompto told Noctis who frowned in confusion.

He looked around, eyes widening as he recognised where he was. Then he looked from Prompto to Regis, beginning to panic and Regis held his hands up.

"Easy Noctis, calm down. Everything is alright. Prompto is safe here, I promise." He knew why Noctis was panicking to realise Prompto was in the Citadel. "He's a member of your Retinue and he brought you home at great personal cost. I will not allow anyone to harm him," he swore and Noctis stared at him, panic slowly fading. He held Prompto's hand tightly and Prompto smiled at him.

"I'm okay Noct, everyone's been nice, promise," Prompto assured him as Noctis gently ran his free hand over his body, obviously looking for wounds.

So far, he didn't seem to remember what had happened to them and Regis prayed he never remembered what had been done to him when collared.

_TBC…_


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 15**

Ignis let himself into Noctis' room to find Noctis straddling Prompto, with the King smiling in amusement at them. "Has something happened?" he asked, alarm growing, and then Noctis' head snapped around in his direction, blue eyes looking him over as if…checking for injuries? "Noct?" he whispered and Noctis reached for him. Ignis moved to the bed and Noctis slammed into him, wrapping his arms around him, nuzzling his throat and then kissing him and Ignis kissed back, holding him close, Noctis' legs around his waist. "Noctis," he choked when Noctis stopped to let him breath.

Noctis gently stroked his cheek and Ignis leant into his touch. Noctis knew him! Movement caught his eye and he saw Prompto sitting up, watching them with a wistful sadness and Ignis knew he was expecting Noctis to leave him. They would have to convince Prompto otherwise somehow. Noctis kissed him again, softly this time and Ignis gently ran a hand through his hair.

"I've missed you," he admitted and Noctis nodded. "Noct?" he asked and then glanced at the King.

"He can't speak, he's tried," His Majesty told him and Ignis gently set Noctis back on the bed where he immediately crawled into Prompto's lap, causing the blond to blush and them to chuckle. Ignis sat beside Prompto, letting their shoulders brush. The King reached over to brush back some of Noctis' hair and Noct leant into the touch. "He recognised both of us and where we are, panicked a little over Prompto being here, so it appears his memory is returning."

Noctis cocked his head, obviously curious and frustrated by his inability to speak. He huffed and then turned to nuzzle at Prompto who wrapped an arm around him, Noctis purring softly before settling in.

"Um…." Prompto looked at Ignis, obviously worried and Ignis smiled at him.

The King chuckled, drawing their attention to him. "I think you boys need to talk," he offered standing and Noctis whimpered, reaching for him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis hugged his son, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back later Noctis, I promise. No one knows you are here; it's been too dangerous. Do you understand?" he asked and Noctis stared at him before slowly nodding. "I'll come back tonight, we can have dinner together," he reached out and gently squeezed his hand. He stood and nodded to the other two boys before leaving.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

He watched his Dad leave, wanting to call out to him to come back. His head was a mess, everything jumbled. Why couldn't he talk? He cuddled into Prompto, seeking reassurance, listening to the steady beat of his heart and the hum of his Core, enjoying his body heat. Seeing Iggy sitting next to him felt good, right. He reached out a hand and Ignis took it. he knew they were in the Citadel, could feel the Crystal nearby, but…it wasn't his rooms or the medical ward. Dad had said no one knew he was there, why? What had happened? Prom wasn't meant to be in the Citadel.

"Noct?" Prom called and he looked up at him, seeing the concern in his eyes. He leant in and kissed him gently, wanting him to be happy. "Noct, I…" Prom looked at Ignis with wide eyes and Noctis frowned, didn't Prompto want him anymore?

"Shh Noct," Ignis murmured, rubbing his back. "Prompto isn't rejecting you. Things have been rather…tense and we haven't had the chance to speak to him about these issues."

But why not? He looked between them and then reached up to cup Prompto's face in his hands, seeing the confusion there, the sadness, and he shook his head before kissing him again, reaching for the bond between them, it was different to the one with Specs because Prompto had no powers of his own, but he could feel Prompto's uncertainty. He stopped to let him breath and then very carefully mouthed the words, wishing he could truly say them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto hated how he was feeling, he should be happy for Ignis and Noctis. They kept saying he had a place there, but he knew he didn't. He couldn't stay, he'd never be accepted even if the portable dampener was working. Why was Noct kissing him with Ignis watching? Was he confused maybe?

Noctis gently cradled his face in cool hands and he felt something, gently nudging the magic that still felt strange inside him. He couldn't pull back when Noct kissed him, he couldn't push him away even if it was the right thing to do. When Noctis pulled back he carefully mouthed three words and Prompto swallowed. Noctis smiled shyly and he smiled back shakily.

"I…but…" he looked at Ignis.

"Prompto, Noctis loves you, I don't need my abilities to be able to tell that," Ignis offered. "He loves Gladio and me as well."

Prompto frowned in confusion, okay? Noctis huffed in frustration, obviously he was missing something. Noctis looked back at Ignis who nodded. Noctis got out of his lap and sat on the bed, grinning. To Prompto's surprise, Ignis touched his cheek, encouraging him to turn towards him and then he was kissing him, gentle but firm and Prompto gasped in surprise. It wasn't like the other time Ignis had kissed him, there was no power in it, just a kiss, and yet it was even nicer than the other one. He was still confused but…he hesitantly kissed back, he liked Ignis.

Ignis pulled back and smiled kindly at him, fingers gently caressing his cheek. "We want you to stay Prompto. I know you haven't really had much to do with Gladio yet, be he is in agreement. Noctis and I aren't together the way you think. It is the three of us and if you are willing, once you know all of us better, then we would like you to join us."

"You can…do that?" Prompto asked in shock. Four? He glanced at Noctis to see him smiling and nodding. "Oh. I…"

"if I may ask, have you had a relationship other than with Noctis?" Ignis asked and Prompto shook his head.

Noctis reached over and pressed a hand to his chest where his Core was and Prompto smiled at him.

"Yeah, you remember that," he whispered and Noct nodded. It was good to know Noctis remembered what he was, he didn't want to have to go through telling him again. He looked up at Ignis. "I never risked it, the core makes more noise during exertion and…."

"Ah, understandable. No one will force you into a relationship you do not wish Prompto. If you find yourself only comfortable with Noctis, then we will accept that."

They'd let him be with Noct without being with them too? That didn't seem fair to them.

Noctis tugged on Ignis arm to get his attention, lips moving soundlessly.

"You wish to see Gladio?" he asked and Noct nodded. "Alright, I will call him," Ignis stood and Noctis watched him go before turning back to Prompto.

Noctis indicated his lap and Prompto nodded, so Noctis settled back in and Prompto wrapped his arms around him, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "I was so scared you'd never get better," he whispered, and Noctis rubbed his cheek against his chest before purring softly. "Love you," he breathed, knowing with his hearing, Noctis would hear him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio saw Ignis waiting outside of Noct's room for him and felt hope rise, why call him here instead of the observation room? "Iggy?"

"Noctis is asking for you," he smiled at him and Gladio closed his eyes in relief, he was getting better! "Well, in a manner of speaking. Noctis' memories seem to have mostly returned. However, he still cannot speak. He can understand us, even mouth words himself. He can vocalise in other ways, so it does not seem to be due to damage to his vocal chords."

"Muteness can be a lasting effect of being feral, can't it?" he asked, arms crossed and Ignis sighed.

"Indeed. We must keep hope it is temporary. Also, I've had to speak with Prompto about how our relationship works. He was…under the impression that Noctis would leave him now he was home. Noctis had him very confused when he kissed both of us. Due to his nature, Prompto has never attempted a relationship before. Take things slowly with him."

"Of course, kid barely knows us." Did Ignis think he was just going to walk in and kiss him? He'd helped Prompto back into bed that first day and taken him on that mistake of a walk to get his dampener, hadn't really interacted with him much outside of that.

They went into the room to see Noctis curled up in Prompto's lap, the blond running his fingers through black hair as Noct rubbed his cheek affectionately against his chest.

"Hey Princess," Gladio called softly and Noctis looked up at him, Gladio braced for any reaction, utterly relieved when Noct grinned at him. Yeah, that was the cheeky brat he knew. He walked over and Noctis scrambled into his arms, holding on tightly. "I am never letting you out of my sight again," he stared and Noct pouted before leaning up for a kiss and Gladio obliged, keeping it short and sweet since he didn't want to make Prompto uncomfortable. "Missed you," he murmured and Noctis nodded.

He tugged Gladio down onto the bed, then stared at Ignis till he got on as well. Even with two beds put together it was a tight squeeze but none of them complained since it made Noctis happy.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto easily supported Noctis as he carefully walked towards the bathroom. After so long in bed, even a vampire's muscles needed time to readjust to walking and Prompto was more than strong enough to help him. He was just glad that whatever they'd done to reinforce his body was as instinctive to modulate as his strength had always been. Noctis stripped while Prompto got the water going and then he stepped back but Noct grabbed his wrist. "Noct?" he asked and Noctis tugged at his shirt. "You want me to go in with you?" that got a nod. He hesitated but then locked the door and stripped, not looking at Noctis, knowing he'd see the scars.

He nearly jumped when cool fingers traced over one on his stomach and Noctis' looked at him with wide eyes, fingers moving to another, and he fought not to flinch, but something must have shown because Noctis kissed him. Noctis still didn't even remember the fight with Glauca and friends, so seeing the evidence on his body had obviously surprised him. When Noctis mouthed a question he nodded.

"I'm okay," he promised, sooner or later he'd have to tell him that he was more machine now than ever. Noctis wouldn't care…he wouldn't.

He helped Noctis into the shower cubicle, smiling when Noct insisted on helping him wash, ever so careful of the scars. He kept a hand on him to help him keep his balance but Noctis managed to stay on his feet. He enjoyed washing Noctis, they'd only been together in that tent, never well-lit enough to get the kind of view he had now. He'd seen Noctis naked, had helped wash him, but it was different now that he was awake and recognised him. He groaned when Noctis pressed their bodies together, they didn't have time, Ignis would be back soon. That just got a cheeky grin.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis paused and glanced towards the bathroom, hearing the shower running and…Noctis was definitely feeling better then. He shook his head, smiling softly, as he put down the tray of food for Prompto. Hopefully they wouldn't be too long in there or else it would go cold.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio glanced down at Prompto, able to smell how nervous he was as they walked down the hall. He was dressed in black gym gear and the only looks anyone gave him, were ones that were wondering who the new guy was. There wasn't any suspicion which was good.

The mobile dampener was working well, he was now wearing the second prototype after R&D had decided it needed some modifications. Now they needed to put Prompto through his paces to ensure the power drain wasn't going to affect him. Gladio was looking forward to seeing what he could do but also ready in case he reacted badly, he hadn't really put his body through its paces since the surgeries after all. If a lot had changed then another breakdown may happen. Gladio had made sure to book a room with a lock. Cor knew and would keep the curious away. If Prompto could handle the various machines then he might suggest a gentle spar to see how his hand to hand was since he seemed to prefer guns.

He was worried about Prompto, he knew everyone involved was. The kid had been tortured, mutilated, but he kept ignoring it in favour of helping Noctis. And maybe it was helping him somewhat, but he needed more help. His Dad had admitted they were trying to find someone but those with high enough clearance tended to work with the soldiers and after so long were rather biased against anything to do with the Empire and especially MT's. It was good he'd had those few cries, but that wasn't enough to deal with everything.

If Noct could talk, maybe he could help Prompto, but he still couldn't speak, and concern was growing that he may remain mute. There had never been a mute monarch before but there was nothing in the law that would disqualify him from taking the Throne because of it either. Besides, the Crystal and Ring had the final say. Noctis hadn't exactly been a chatter box since the childhood attack but it was strange to see him silent, and obviously very frustrating for him. He'd been given a tablet so that he could use it to communicate since not everyone could lip read entirely accurately. Thanks to that they discovered he had gaps in his memory, nothing alarming, and nothing important, thankfully. Just day to day things like the address of his apartment or the colour of his car. Ignis was running him through a few schooling related things while they were in the gym to see if his actual education had been affected. At least he could still read and write, if he'd had to relearn that it would have been a pain and made communicating a lot harder.

He watched Prompto warm up slowly and then set to work recording the info the scientists wanted on what machines he used on what settings and for how long. They'd compare the info to the power readings in the lab. Seeing him on the weights…he was so scrawny and yet he could lift as much as Gladio himself could!

"Could you lift that much before?"

Prompto shook his head, putting it down. "I carried Noct all the way back to Meldacio without any trouble and I could carry more than what he weighed, but not this much." He stared at his hands, his skin was almost as pale as Noctis', though covered in pale freckles.

"Hey," Gladio called and he looked up, startled. "Wanna hit the mats?" he offered and Prompto's eyes went wide.

"Umm…"

"Nothing serious. We should test your reflexes for a fight though."

Prompto hesitated but eventually nodded.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis watched as the two walked into the room, Noctis grinning at them. Gladio was grinning and even Prompto had a small smile, all good signs that things had gone well. "How did it go?"

"He may look like a scrawny twig," Gladio began.

"Hey!" Prompto glared at him.

"But he can lift as much as I can," he finished.

"Impressive," Ignis nodded to him and then delicately sniffed the air. "Showered and clean clothing please gentlemen," he ordered and Gladio laughed.

"Go ahead, I'll wait."

Prompto nodded but detoured to the bed at Noctis' insistence for a congratulatory kiss.

Ignis waited until he was sure Prompto was under the water. "How was he?"

"He did fine, hesitant on the mats but that's understandable with the changes he's gone through. Rough around the edges but since he seems to prefer firearms that's not surprising. He's still better than a rookie in the Guard."

"Good," Ignis nodded. Noctis was just smiling proudly, holding up the tablet where he'd typed in 'told you so'.

_TBC…._


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 16**

Noctis clung to Gladio, kissing him, feeling his hands around his back, easily supporting his weight. The water was warm as it ran down his back, the bathroom filing with steam, but neither of them cared as Noctis rocked against him. He needed them to stop treating him like he was made of glass! Yeah, there were gaps in his memory and he still couldn't speak, but he wasn't gonna break. He wanted his life back, just with Prompto in it now too.

They'd explained he'd spent time in a feral state and that was scary, he'd been warned his whole life what that could do to his kind, but he was okay. He didn't remember what had caused it and from the scars on Prom's body, he didn't think he wanted to. There was something sadder about the blond now too, a slight shift to his scent. He was just glad Gladio and Ignis were being so accepting of him, trying to help Prom adjust. He knew he'd messed up, but Iggy had fixed it, explaining things to Prompto. They were off doing something, leaving him alone with Gladio for the first time. He'd wasted no time in dragging him into the shower for the most privacy possible.

Yeah, he still couldn't speak, but he was starting to think maybe he never would. Maybe that should freak him out, but it didn't, he could still communicate in other ways. He grinned and dragged his fangs down the sensitive skin of Gladio's throat, making him groan.

"Noct…" Gladio yanked his head up to kiss him again, turning to pin him against the shower wall.

,,,,,,,,,

Ignis glanced at Prompto as they walked through the halls, relieved to find him much ,roe relaxed than Gladio had said he was last trip. He knew exactly what Noctis and Gladio were doing with the time alone, but he could ignore it.

The King wanted to see Prompto but had been unable to slip away to the Isolation wing so Ignis was bring Prompto to the King. Someone had bought Prompto more clothing in the right size, ensuring he didn't stand out, though he wasn't yet dressed as a member of Noctis' Retinue, for obvious reasons. The black would contrast nicely with his bright blond hair and it would let everyone know the he was protected by the Crown.

Ignis knocked on the door and the King called for them to enter. He opened the door and smiled at Prompto, gently urging him inside. Seeing the King while caring for Noctis was apparently different to being summoned and he could feel Prompto's fear. He took Prompto's hand, gently squeezing his fingers, smiling softly, before stepping back. Prompto managed a shaky smile before he stepped into the room.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis watched as Prompto entered his office, blue eyes darting around, taking everything in quickly. "Good afternoon Prompto," he greeted, standing up to move around the desk, offering his hand and the boy hesitated before taking it. Ignis would need to start tutoring him on Royal protocol soon but it was his office and if he wanted to shake hands rather than have people bow then that was his choice. He led Prompto across the room to a corner of comfortable couches, not wanting to make their meeting any more stressful for him. "I am glad the clothing fits, once Mage Altius heard of your recovery she insisted on buying you some things and Captain Ulric knows better than to tell a woman no when it comes to shopping," he offered teasingly.

"Altius?" Prompto asked and Regis nodded.

"She was the Mage on the team who brought you in." And therefore knew the truth, Prompto's eyes widened as he realised that. "How is Noctis?" that was a subject sure to relax Prompto and sure enough his eyes lit up.

The young man was definitely well and truly in love with his son and even what little he had seen would indicate the feelings were mutual. He just hoped the four could work things out between them to include him. Regis was quite happy to listen to Prompto speak of his son and how they were all helping with his recovery, though it hurt to hear that Noct was still mute.

"I have been speaking with medical experts and various elders among groups such as the Galahd, though others so as to keep the patients identity secret. They all appear to agree that Noctis may never speak again," Regis admitted, seeing the stricken look. He reached out and patted a pale hand, Prompto was almost as pale as a vampire now after months indoor. "There is still a chance his voice will return with time but there are no guarantees. I plan to speak with him about moving back into his Citadel quarters. There had never been a mute King before, but there is nothing in the law to say it cannot be done. Noctis is still able to communicate in other ways after all."

"What will happen to me?" Prompto asked nervously.

"You are Oathbound to my son Prompto, I will not send you away. You can become a visible member of his Retinue, your past as a hunter will likely come out if you do but you saved Noctis and the people will likely find it romantic. If you wish to leave the city then it will be allowed, though I know Noctis and the others will insist on ensuring you are well set up somewhere safe and that you remain in contact. It would be dangerous, you are back on the Empire's radar now and if they find you,"

"They'll try to use me against Noct, finish the conversion," he shuddered.

"You can remain in the city and even the Citadel even if you do not wish to be visibly linked to Noctis."

"That would hurt him though, wouldn't it?" Prompto grimaced and he was right, Noctis would be hurt if Prompto wished to remain a secret. "What happens when someone finds out…what I am?"

"We have medical proof that you are still very human, and you are bound by Oath to Noctis, proving your loyalty. There may be some trouble but nothing that we cannot handle." Regis hesitated, he'd had the staff doing research but in the end, there was no way to know for sure. Should he bring it up? "Ignis can begin teaching you while you decide, you don't need to give an answer today. He'll be working with Noctis as well to ensure he remembers everything he needs to."

"I've never really had any schooling," he admitted, flushing, and Regis nodded. He had seen that, had seen that a few hunters had taken to teaching him what was useful that he hadn't learned at that facility.

"If you wish to pursue a normal education then it can be arranged," he assured him.

"I…"

"As I said, there is no rush to make a decision. There will be a formal announcement of Noctis' survival in a month or so, unless someone leaks the news beforehand. Mention will be made that he had help but we won't give out your name without your agreement."

Prompto nodded, obviously uncomfortable, and Regis let him go, not wanting to overwhelm him. He would wait and see how Prompto integrated in the Citadel if he chose to remain, see how he interacted with other vampires, before bringing it up to him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis looked around the now bare isolation room, the second bed had been returned and everything was packed up. It was stupid but the idea of leaving…was scary. They'd been safe here and he'd been with those he loved. Once he left things would change. He knew his Dad had told Prompto he could leave the city if he wanted and he was scared that Prompto would want that, would chose to return to the life he knew.

He was also scared about what would happen once the people knew he was alive. He'd heard the radio coverage of his funeral so he thought they would be happy he had survived. How would they react to his having been feral, to still being mute? Sooner or later, the Empire would ensure some kind of footage was released of him in the collar.

No one would tell him what had happened to him, but he could feel the grief from Prompto over it, whatever had happened wasn't good. Had he hurt Prompto? Ignis was enraged but that could be for a whole lot of reasons, so maybe he was better off not remembering. He wanted to see the footage of the fight, he wanted to see what had happened since he couldn't remember. He'd seen Nyx and he had said that he'd faced Glauca! He couldn't believe it, his Dad had to retreat from the General, there was no way he could have fought him even briefly.

"Ready?" a hand rested on his shoulder and he leant back against Iggy, feeling an arm wrap around his waist, lips pressing behind his ear briefly.

He took a last look around and then nodded.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto watched as Gladio input a code and then the massive double doors clicked open into a foyer with places for shoes and jackets. He then input another code and the inner door opened and Prompto followed him inside, looking around with wide eyes. He'd never imagined…

"Alright there?" Gladio asked and he nodded shakily.

He'd never seen anything like it! He hadn't seen much of the Citadel and most of what he had seen was the behind the scenes bits.

"Well this is the main living area," Gladio waved a hand around the large room filled with couches and a massive tv. "There's a kitchen there but it hasn't been really been used much, Iggy's working to stock it for your use. Down the hallway are three bedrooms, all with ensuite bathrooms, and what is meant to be Noct's office, not that he really uses it. He hasn't actually lived here in years; he moved out for high school and was meant to be moving back in later this year."

"Do you live here?"

"Technically, Ignis has his own small suite a few floors away and I live at the Amicitia estate. Unofficially, I'm usually either in Ignis' rooms or here, same with Ignis. Until you decide what you're doing, you'll be staying in here to stay out of sight," Gladio explained, leading him to the back bedroom.

Prompto looked around, taking in the massive bed with black bedding, the doors against one wall… "Is this the one Noct uses?"

"Yeah, it's got the biggest bed."

"Right…" he still wasn't sure how to deal with that.

"Hey, there's no pressure Prompto," Gladio turned to face him and Prompto looked up at him. Why did he have to be so short? Gladio settled his hands on his shoulders and Prompto swallowed. "None of us are going to force you into anything. We barely know each other yet; it'll take time for all of us to get used to each other. Though there's one thing I'd like to do if you'll let me."

"What?"

Gladio grinned at him. "Kiss you, everyone else has except me."

Gladio wanted to kiss him? He hesitated, staring up at him. He'd been wary of Gladio at first, he was so big, a vampire, but…he'd never done anything to make him scared. He'd done everything he could to help and Prompto could see that having to remain away from Noctis before his memory had returned had hurt him.

He took a deep breath and moved closer. "Okay," he whispered.

The grin softened, a hand moving from his shoulder to gently rest at the back of his head as Gladio leant in. Prompto moved a hand to rest against Gladio's side to help him balance, feeling the cold of his body through his clothes but it didn't bother him at all after so long on the road with Noct and then in the isolation room with him. Kissing Gladio was different to kissing Noct or Ignis and he found himself clinging to him, overwhelmed. When Gladio pulled back, Prompto was gasping for air, able to feel the heat in his cheeks, blinking up at Gladio, dazed.

"Okay?" the vampire asked, and he managed a shaky nod. Gladio chuckled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "How's your memory?"

"Huh?"

Gladio laughed and guided him from the bedroom. "And I got that reaction without any sex powers," he was obviously proud of that. "We each get our own codes to the doors in case of emergency. Let's security know who's in here if we need to evacuate, things like that. There's a different code for the outer doors to the inner ones too. Cor set you up with your own that you'll need to memorise."

Prompto nodded, surprised he was being given such access, then again it'd be a good way to track him. He'd expected to be pretty much locked in, but it sounded like he was allowed to leave the suite? His memory was excellent, even lacking the implants in his brain.

The door opened and he turned to see Ignis and Noct with a few guards around them, keeping Noct out of view? Noctis saw them and grinned, moving forward, and Prompto found himself with a vampire Prince wrapped around him.

Ignis chuckled as the guards left. "You only saw him half an hour ago Noctis," he teased and Noct shrugged. "Let me know when you want dinner Prompto," Ignis told him, carrying a bag into the hall and Prompto stared after him in surprise.

"Ignis likes to cook, he's been looking forward to being back in here so he can cook for both of you. He says it's a waste to cook just for himself since technically he doesn't need it," Gladio explained even as Noctis tugged Prompto over to a couch to curl up together.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis nodded as Cor entered the room. "How did it go?"

"We got them all to Noctis' rooms without much attention. The guard with them said the first thing Noctis did was hug Prompto then drag him to a couch. The boy looked a little overwhelmed, not surprising considering what he's used to." Cor accepted the offered glass, sipping the blood within.

"Do you think he'll stay?"

"It's hard to say. I don't think he wants to leave Noctis, but the question is whether he can adapt to life here. If the truth comes out to soon, he may leave because he believes it's the best thing to do for Noctis' reputation," he explained, and Regis nodded.

He would do what he had to in order to ensure no one could drive Prompto from the city in a misplaced effort to protect Noctis. Just minutes with them was enough to see the bond between them, even without the magic linking them. "Once Noctis' presence is confirmed, Aldercapt will make his next move. I fear what footage they may have…"

"Noctis is demanding to see the footage of the fight since he can't remember."

"Of course," Regis nodded, that should have been released to him as soon as he asked for it. There was nothing too distressing, other than seeing both boys electrocuted before being knocked out or collared. Thankfully Crowe had been too far away and at the wrong angle to catch the moment that had made Prompto scream. It had been bad enough seeing his son so lifeless, he did not wish to see the moment of transition as the collar activated. "Have they learned much from the collar?"

"It's definitely old Solheim technology, Magitek," Cor admitted, and Regis nodded. That had been assumed, although the first record of vampires had been the Mystic. "The techs are going a little crazy over it."

That was understandable, they'd never had access to one and now they had a functional collar plus its control unit. "See if Prompto can record what he knows of them, I'd rather not risk any accidents with it only to find it had somehow permanently locked itself."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto left the bathroom in a billow of steam and Noct grinned at him from where he was sitting cross legged on the bed. He'd been in there for a while, but his shower definitely beat the ones back in the isolation room. He held his hand out and Prompto walked over, letting Noctis yank him up onto the bed. He curled up against him, relaxing when a warm arm wrapped around him. There was so much he wanted to tell him, but his stupid voice wouldn't cooperate. Typing it out wasn't the same and took too long. A knock sounded at the door and he reached out to hit his hand on the headboard as a signal.

The door opened and Ignis looked in, smiling softly at the sight of them on the bed. "Will you two need anything else this evening or shall Gladio and I depart?"

That had Noctis sitting up, shaking his head madly, looking for his tablet. Prompto sat up as well, worried, even as Ignis moved to the bed.

"Hush Noct, calm down," Ignis murmured, gently taking his hands in his. "There's no need to panic."

"I think…maybe he doesn't want you to go?" Prompto suggested and Noct was relieved he could read him so well, nodding.

"Ah, I see," Ignis relaxed and then let go of his hands only to reach up and stroke his cheek, Noctis leaning into his touch. "Very well, we will take one of the other rooms."

Noctis glanced at Prompto, would he be okay if he asked for what he really wanted? Prompto looked back at him in confusion before his eyes widened slightly.

"I uh…I think he wants us all in here," Prompto finally said and Noctis nodded.

"Noctis, it is unfair to pressure Prompto into something like this," Ignis told him sternly and Noct shifted.

He didn't want to put pressure on Prom, he just wanted them all together, safe. No way anyone or anything could get passed all four of them without someone waking. Prom had shared the bed with him and Iggy, why would adding Gladio make such a difference?

"Just to sleep?" Prompto asked him and he nodded, he knew Prompto wasn't ready for anything else with anyone except him and that was fine. "Okay…if you want to," Prom looked up at a surprised Ignis who stared at him, obviously trying to see if he meant it, before Iggy nodded.

"Very well, I'll speak with Gladio." He left, pulling the door to.

Noctis shoved the covers back, fixing the pillows just right before pulling Prompto down with him, resting his head on Prom's chest so he could hear his heart. When the door opened, Ignis and Gladio walked in, letting Noctis direct where they lay, Gladio pulling the covers up.

"Alright blondie?" Gladio asked and Prompto nodded.

"Night," he whispered in answer, a hand stroking through Noct's hair, and Noctis looked to see Iggy's hand resting lightly on Prompto's side, Gladio's arm around his own waist.

For the first time in a very long time, everything felt right.

_TBC…_


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_Playing kingdom hearts for the first time and it's so frustrating, you cast cure, but it decides that no, it needs a few extra seconds to actually cast it on your character so oops, your dead. The rest of the time it's practically instant, except when you've almost beat the boss and are dangerously low in health. _

**Chapter 17**

Prompto woke up and smiled when he felt the arm over his waist, opening his eyes to find himself face to face with the still sleeping Noctis. They'd been in Noct's suite for almost a week now and he still hadn't made his decision on what he wanted to do. The announcement of Noctis' survival was going to made soon too which really did mean he needed to choose. He didn't want to leave, he loved Noctis and he thought maybe he could love the other two too. He liked them, they didn't care what he was, and he was enjoying getting to know them.

They didn't spend every night with the four of them sharing a bed, but they did spend most nights together. They'd kissed him a few times which he enjoyed, Noctis was a bit of a brat about trying to push for more but while he was willing with his Prince, he wasn't ready for that with the others. And…if he did leave, was it fair to be so close?

He shivered when lips pressed to the back of his neck, lifting his hand to tangle his fingers with the ones resting against his stomach. "Mornin'," he whispered.

"Morning," Gladio answered. "Okay?" he asked and Prompto hesitated but then rolled over to face him.

He shifted closer and felt Gladio's arm tighten around his waist. He leant in and the vampire realised what he was doing so lowered his head to be even with his, letting Prompto kiss him, responding but not pushing for more than he was comfortable with. Prompto lifted his own arm, slipping his hand under the shirt Gladio had worn to bed. They all went to bed fully clothed because of him, for his comfort in more than one way. They did it so their cooler bodies wouldn't give him a chill in the night and so he wouldn't feel pressured. Noct and Gladio also tended to be even cooler before feeding and Prompto broke the kiss to breath and tip his head to the side, baring his throat.

"Prompto…you sure?" he asked, kissing the skin, and Prompto nodded.

"I want to do this for you," he promised.

He felt Gladio drag his fangs over his skin gently, giving him the chance to change his mind but he just tightened his grip on Gladio, so he bit down carefully. It was a different sensation to when Noctis had done it, then again Noct had been amnesiac and childlike at the time.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

He woke to the scent of blood, finding Prompto's back to him and Gladio latched onto his throat. He didn't feel at all jealous to see them like that, no, it made him happy. Surely letting Gladio feed form him was a good sign?

Noctis felt Ignis nuzzle at his throat, a hand stroking his side, and he pressed back into him. He lifted a hand back to press against Ignis stomach, hoping he'd understand what he meant.

"Was going to ask you that," Ignis answered and Noctis rolled over.

He grinned and leant in, licking his throat, and Ignis tipped his head to the side.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis set up the table with breakfast for two, smiling as Prompto emerged from the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed. The bite mark had healed over, but he looked a little pale so Ignis was glad he had ordered an iron rich meal. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Prompto told him as he took his seat. "Where are Noct and Gladio?"

"Training, Noctis has been cleared to begin light work so long as they are careful to monitor him," Ignis explained as he took his own seat. They ate quietly and then Prompto cleaned up while Ignis dressed for the day. "You'll be okay on your own?"

Prompto grinned at him. "I've got school work to do," he assured him. That was one offer Prompto had taken the King up on so far and they were all happy to help him, even Noctis, and Prompto learnt incredibly quickly.

"Alright, have fun," Ignis leant in and kissed his cheek and Prompto turned his head changing it into a proper kiss. Ignis smiled when they parted and gently caressed his cheek with a gloved hand before leaving the suite. Until the announcement was made, they had to keep up the charade that Noctis was dead.

As he walked down the hall, Ignis found hope blooming at how responsive Prompto was becoming to them. Surely he wouldn't, unless he planned to remain with them? After the time spent in isolation and now in Noctis' suite, it was becoming hard to imagine their lives without the blond in them.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto fought the urge to pace as he waited for Noct to return. He had to talk to him before he told anyone else because if Noct didn't want him to stay or wanted to hide their connection, then that was what he'd do.

The door opened and he stood up, clasping his hands to keep from fidgeting. Noctis walked in and grinned at him before he stopped, head tipped slightly to the side, concerned and curious. Gladio walked in, looked at them, and then left for which he was grateful. Noctis moved closer, letting out an inquisitive whine, obviously frustrated he couldn't just ask, reaching for his hand.

Prompto took his hand, squeezing it, before moving closer to hug him and Noctis hugged him back. "Can we talk?" he asked, pulling back to look at him. "It's not bad," he promised, seeing the worry, and then Noct nodded, picking up his tablet. When sneaking around the Citadel he used his phone, but the tablet was better. They sat down on the couch and Noctis curled into his side, tablet in his lap and ready to go.

'Are you okay?' Noctis typed quickly.

"Yeah," he pressed a kiss to Noctis' head and Noctis turned his head to kiss him gently.

'What's wrong?'

"Nothing's wrong," Prompto promised. "I just…you know your Dad gave me a few options?" he asked and Noctis nodded. "What do you want Noct?" he asked nervously and Noctis twisted to face him, staring at him, before typing again.

'I can't choose for you.'

"I know, but…" he chewed at his lip, looking away. No, he could do this. "I can't stay…unless you want me to."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis froze, feeling his heart race, had Prompto just said… 'You'll stay?' he typed out as quickly as he could. He couldn't help hoping, that Prom would say yes, that he'd stay.

"Do you want me to? Noct…it's going to be messy…if I stay then eventually someone who won't keep quiet's going to find out about what I am. And then the footage cause you know the Empire has some from the labs…" Prompto wasn't looking at him.

Noctis put the tablet down and reached out to lift Prompto's head, making eye contact, he wished more than ever that the words would just come but nothing did. He leant in and kissed him and then smiled at him. He grabbed the tablet again; he was really starting to hate the thing. 'STAY!'

Prompto laughed. "Guess you want me to stay."

Noctis nodded. 'Only if that's what you want too. Secret or known?' he wanted Prompto at his side, but he would understand if he wanted to stay in the background. Being a public member of his retinue would be very different to anything Prompto knew.

"I…I wanna say secret, cause then when people find out what I am, it won't hurt you as much. But…"

'But?' he asked. He knew Prompto was right, when it came out that Prompto was an MT or at least a partial one, his being a member of Noctis' Retinue would cause an uproar, they'd say he was being influenced, despite Prompto voluntarily wearing the dampener. 'I don't care what anyone says as long you're okay with it.'

"What about the others? It'll impact them too."

'They know. We talked; we know there could be backlash but we can deal with it.' The thought of having to treat Prompto like a stranger wasn't something any of them liked. They wanted him with them properly, acknowledged as a member of the Retinue.

Prompto stared at him, torn, and Noctis reached up to cup his cheek with a hand, Prompto leaning into his touch. Noctis licked his lips and then carefully formed the words he wanted, even if they were silent.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It took him a second to read the words his lips were forming, and he swallowed hard. "You…you love me?" No one had ever loved him before. Sure Dave had saved him, looked out for him, but that hadn't been love, it had been obligation and protection, that was all. "I…"

'It's okay, you don't have to say it back. I just wanted you to know,' Noctis quickly typed out after picking the tablet back up.

It wasn't the first time he'd said it, he'd said he loved him back when he'd first remembered back in the isolation room. It hadn't felt as real though because Noct had been confused and still partially running on instinct. But now… did he love Noctis? He honestly didn't know. Noctis just smiled softly at him so he kissed him.

"I don't know…what love feels like," he admitted and Noctis nodded sadly. "I know it's crazy to stay but leaving you…I can't do it. Whatever it takes, I want to stay with you. Ignis and Gladio…I'd miss them a lot now too but you're different."

Noctis grinned and nodded, hugging him so he hugged back.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis looked at the message his son had sent him and smiled. Yes, there would be trouble eventually, but he was glad the boy had chosen to remain at Noctis' side. They had work to do before the announcement then. Prompto would need identity paperwork since all he had was Hunter's tags. There would be paperwork to get him into the Crownsguard, but the boys could help him with that, he'd need a uniform…there was a lot to get done.

He sent a message to Cor so he could begin getting things together.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio walked into the suite and paused, something was different…had changed, but what. The two boys were curled together on the couch, watching a movie, Noct occasionally making a comment on his tablet. Noctis looked up and grinned at him so Gladio walked over to collapse in the arm chair.

"Having fun?" he asked and Prompto smiled slightly.

"I like movies."

"Something we all have in common then," Gladio smirked at him. "Do anything interesting today?"

Noctis was almost bouncing on the couch! And then he held his tablet up. 'HE'S STAYING!'

Gladio stared at the words and then looked to Prompto. "You're staying?" he asked and Prompto shifted.

"If you all want me to. I know it'll cause trouble…"

"We can handle trouble blondie," Gladio promised, reaching across to grip his hand and Prompto held on tightly. Noctis looked so pleased with himself at seeing that and his choosing to stay obviously. "I'm glad."

"Really?" Prompto asked nervously and Gladio yanked him forward off the couch, Prompto yelping but he landed in Gladio's lap, cheeks going red.

"You need to ask?" and then he kissed him, feeling Prompto freeze but then he was kissing back.

Every day Prompto became more sure of himself around them, letting them show him affection, letting them get to know him, and Gladio was glad. If Prompto only ever wanted Noctis then they would have gone with it, but they were both hoping for more. Letting him feed from him, accepting their presence in the bed even if only to sleep, kissing…well it definitely gave him hope.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis glanced over at the laugh from the couch, seeing the two younger males bent over the massive catalogues that Monica had delivered, Noctis pointing and gesturing at something on the page that was obviously amusing. It was times like that, that Noctis' lack of voice was very obvious. He missed it, missed talking over Council notes or movies or anything with him.

They were trying to work out a better method than the tablet and phone for Noct to communicate with, even with him typing fast it was slow and cumbersome. Damaged hearing was far easier to correct with something like a hearing aide but not only would a vampires' body reject such an implant but there was also no equivalent for the voice.

"Noct!" Prompto complained, actually giggling.

"What on earth can be so funny about choosing a uniform?" Ignis gave up on his paperwork and went to look at what they were doing. He chuckled as he saw the pieces Noctis had been combining together. "Well…hardly practical," he offered and Noctis grinned at him. "Try to actually make some proper choices," he told them, running his fingers through Noct's hair.

Noctis pouted but sighed and nodded. He tipped his head back and nuzzled at Ignis' wrist. Ignis smiled, feeling a flash of hunger, but he pushed it down. He'd been feeding from Gladio on the few nights they had spent alone since the move to the suite, but it had been a while. Noctis obviously picked up on the hunger, licking the skin, and Ignis shivered.

"Noct…"

"I can look these over, go," Prompto told them.

Noctis looked from Ignis to Prompto and Ignis frowned before shaking his head.

"No Noctis," he murmured, softer than human hearing. "I won't ask him that."

"Ask me what?" Prompto asked, looking between them, and Ignis mentally winced, he'd forgotten that Prompto's senses were better than a baseline humans.

Noctis picked up his tablet before Ignis could stop him, typing out a message before handing it over.

Prompto read it, eyes widening slightly. "Oh." He looked up. "Noct… I… that's Ignis' choice."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto was a little bit shocked by Noctis' suggestion that he feed Ignis. Why?

"It is not just my choice," Ignis said, confusing him.

"What?"

Ignis looked at him. "I would never feed from someone unwilling," he answered.

Oh, right. He nodded, of course Ignis wouldn't just feed off anyone and he hadn't meant to make it sound like he would. He was surprised when Ignis moved closer and reached out to brush a gloved hand against his cheek, smiling softly. He leant down and kissed him and Prompto happily kissed back. He definitely liked kissing a lot. No wonder other hunters were always slipping away to kiss and have sex.

"Were you to offer Prompto, I would not turn you down," Ignis told him softly and Prompto swallowed. Ignis brushed a kiss to his forehead and then stepped back.

Noctis moved across the couch to kiss him and then he stood up and took Ignis' hand but Ignis hesitated.

"Go on," Prompto smiled at them and then turned back to the folders of clothing options. He'd never seen so many options! "I know where the food is if I need something. Go."

Ignis nodded and went to the bedroom with Noctis. The rooms were well enough soundproofed that he couldn't hear anything, but he knew now what was happening behind closed doors.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis left the bedroom a few hours later, freshly showered, Noctis asleep in bed. He found Prompto and Gladio sprawled on the floor looking at options. Gladio looked up and smirked at him, Ignis rolling his eyes. He sat on the chair and looked down at them, seeing a few things off to the side.

"We've been debating styles," Gladio told him.

"May I?" Ignis asked and Prompto nodded so he picked up the pile, looking through it.

He had no idea what kind of clothing Prompto usually preferred, although he was a hunter, so he assumed the clothing was rough and easy to clean. The pieces tended to be more on the casual side than his own preferences but that didn't matter since he would be given the formal uniform for when it was needed. The shirts tended to be short sleeved or sleeveless with a vest rather than a jacket.

He began putting items together into outfits and Prompto shifted onto his knees to see since he was putting them on the coffee table. Ignis saw Prompto rubbing at his arm where the port was, that explained the short sleeved options, although they obviously weren't his preferred choice.

"There are other ways to cover that if that is your concern," he offered quietly.

Prompto tensed but then nodded. He looked over the outfits Ignis had made and then pointed to one. "I like that."

Gladio leant in to look and smirked. "Very nice."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor looked over the paperwork that had been submitted, he recognised Ignis' work easily enough. It made sense, Prompto wasn't used to paperwork. Ignis had even marked, for his eyes only, what parts were fabricated or where Ignis was unsure what to put. They couldn't let it get out that Prompto was an MT, they wanted to keep that secret as long as possible.

His being a hunter they were going to swing as a good thing, that a hunter had saved the Prince, had put aside all prejudice and had saved a vampire. That he had sworn to protect Noctis, to serve him, well it would probably anger the organisation but there wasn't a lot they could do with the kid safely in the city.

There was going to be a lot of juggling of fact and fiction in the file and Cor had made a separate one that contained the full truth about the kid, but it was locked and sealed, accessible only to the King, Shield, and Marshal, so unless one of them was replaced, that file was secure.

For now, Gladio and Ignis were handling Prompto's training to keep it under wraps. Once the truth of Noctis and Prompto was announced, he would step in to test him personally. He had no doubts that the kid could easily pass the physical aspects, it was the rest that he would need to learn.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Regis smiled as Prompto left the bedroom, dressed in his brand-new Crownsguard gear. Noctis lit up at the sight, a reaction he would need to get under control when in public. His relationship with his Retinue was secret and they had managed to keep it one so hopefully Prompto's past could be kept just as secret.

It was the most casual of the boys, with Noctis himself as the next most casual, but it suited the blond. His arms were bare, except for a bandana covering where the port was, the dampener covering his barcode, and fingerless gloves. He looked a little self-conscious but otherwise comfortable in the outfit.

Normally, the ceremony would take place in public, in front of the Guard and Court, but for obvious reasons this one was private. The only ones attending outside of the main group were Monica, Dustin, the Glaives involved in the rescue, including no longer acting Captain Ulric and one of the nurses from the isolation ward. It was actually probably for the best since such a large crowd would be rather intimidating for someone unused to them.

Prompto recited the Oath he'd given out in the wilds to Noctis again who then gave him his official Crownsguard sword. Gladio was the one to give him a set of handguns that he and Ignis had had commissioned for him, surprising Prompto. Then Regis was up, accepting the more general Oath given by all Crownsguard to the ruling Royal and then he handed over Prompto's new official credentials.

Once it was done, the ceremony was over, and the party began.

_TBC…_


End file.
